The Minister of Presidency and Spokesman for the Catalan Executive, Francesc Homs, assured that the Government of Catalonia will face the prosecution brought about by the public prosecutor’s office against the members of the Executive Council with a “clear conscience”.

 

In light of the prosecution against the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas; the Vice-President and Minister of Governance and Institutional Relations, Joana Ortega; and Minister of Education, Irene Rigau, Minister Homs wanted to convey “peace of mind” and stated that “we have the clear conscience that we have done things, as we always have, within the legal framework”.

 

The Minister of the Presidency declared that "a democracy where encouraging civilian participation and facilitating the freedom of expression can constitute a crime, cannot be a real democracy" and labelled this legal initiative as a "colossal error on behalf of the Spanish Government’s".

 

However, "despite this maladroit use of State institutions, legal institutions and the rule of law itself", the government Spokesman said that "the response will be to defend oneself ". Homs criticized this legal initiative for "being more political based than it was legally", assuring that “the pressure inflicted by the People’s Party-run Government and the same People’s Party itself has made this evident”. “It would have been good if the issue had been conducted through political means and not by the legal route”, added the Minister.

 

Homs has also made reference to the decision reached by the Spanish Minister of Finances, Cristobal Montoro, to not renew the Catalan Funding Model. Homs stated that "it is the perfect example of overseeing the legality, because the Law on Autonomous Communities’ Funding establishes a deadline to either develop a new funding model or to renew the current one”. “I don’t know if they will prosecute him” revealed Spokesman Homs.