They are demanding that the Generalitat charge all the expenses for Sijena

BarcelonaThe Supreme Court has already determined that the Generalitat She was not the owner of the original assets of the Sijena monastery that she had purchased in the 1980s and 1990s. The sales were declared null and void because, according to the Spanish courts, the nuns were not authorized to carry out this type of transaction. However, the financial compensation to the Generalitat, which paid approximately 50 million pesetas (300,000 euros), remains outstanding.

The Dignity Commission has filed a requestinactivity in the Generalitat for "its negligent attitude regarding its obligations in the lawsuits over the Sijena artifacts." According to the memorial organization, the Catalan government must reclaim the 300,000 euros for the purchase of the objects, which was annulled, as well as the expenses incurred in their restoration and conservation until their return. The Commission for Dignity states that this is stipulated in the Civil Code. "If they are returned, the government must reclaim all expenses incurred, as provided by the Civil Code. Failure to do so causes harm to the Generalitat's assets and, therefore, constitutes misappropriation of public funds," the organization asserts.

The Sijena murals were saved in the autumn of 1936 after a vandalistic attempt at destruction by an anarchist column. They were rescued by Catalan technicians with the help of local people, led by the art historian and architect Josep Gudiol. Gudiol worked for the Monuments Service of the Generalitat (Catalan government) and had secured funding for the operation directly from Regional Minister Ventura Gassol. In this regard, the Dignity Commission has also criticized the Generalitat for not more forcefully defending the work carried out. "This negligence and silence in the face of the accusations against Gudiol and Regional Minister Ventura Gassol, responsible for the rescue, demonstrates a disregard for these individuals and their actions in favor of saving Aragon's artistic heritage. It is our duty to defend the dignity and the efforts of those who risked their lives to save Catalan and Aragonese heritage."

The organization argues that, according to Article 1779 of the Civil Code, the depositor (in this case, the nuns) is obligated to reimburse the depositary for the expenses incurred in preserving the deposited item and to compensate them for any resulting damages. Article 1303, for its part, establishes the obligation of the contracting parties to reciprocally return the things that were the subject of the contract, along with their fruits, and the price with interest.