Discontent grows within Junts over Toni Comín's cases

BrusselsThe European Parliament resolution that backs the former Junts assistant who reported Toni Comín for psychological and sexual harassment, and the way Junts is handling this and another internal complaint for alleged physical assault have intensified internal discontent with the MEP. Several Junts sources explain to el ARA that the unease, which was already evident following the ex-minister's controversial economic management in the Council of the Republic, has been growing in recent days, and some voices, despite there being no formal request, advocate for the leadership to take action against Comín, such as demanding he resign his seat. Comín, regarding his future as an MEP, believes it would be "a fraud to democracy" if he had to resign due to "a false accusation." "I won the primaries to be the lead candidate with 77% of the votes, and almost 500,000 people voted for the list I headed," the former minister claims to this newspaper.

The cases are not being litigated, and Comín retains the presumption of innocence, a fact that the leadership has used to justify not acting against him. Numerous party sources, however, emphasize that it is no longer just about accusations and complaints, but also about an investigation and conclusions from the European Parliament itself, which lend credibility to the accuser, whom they encourage to pursue legal action, offering to cover all associated costs. For this reason, it has internally caused surprise that Junts's guarantees commission has halted the investigation since February, and, in fact, has also halted the investigation into a second complaint.

Even so, the Junts MEP downplays the European Parliament's resolution in a conversation with ARA. Comín dismisses as "very strange" that the community chamber's text states, on the one hand, that it "does not have jurisdiction" to make any decision or sanction him because he currently does not have the seat and, at the same time, "considers itself competent" to conduct a "preliminary" investigation in which he claims he could not defend himself. In any case, the European Parliament concludes that it has "sufficient evidence" to take Comín to court.

In the case of the second complaint filed against Comín in Junts – this one has not gone through the European Parliament – it has been discussed internally within the party for some time. We have to go back to the election night of the Catalan elections on May 12, 2024. Following orders, an advisor to the Junts members blocked the former minister's path when he tried to enter Carles Puigdemont's office. The gesture angered Comín, who pushed her aside after arguing with her. There were several eyewitnesses and the events spread like wildfire among Junts cadres.

It is not the first time that Comín has been on the ropes within Junts. The most controversial case so far had been that of the management of the Consell de la República, after an audit detected "irregular expenses" by the MEP. The management board of the Consell denounced "verbal and written" "pressure" from Comín for him to change the audit report which concluded that the expenses of his trip to Northern Catalonia were "unjustified". Comín also announced that he would file a lawsuit against Josep Miquel Arenas (Valtònyc), after the rapper accused him of having transferred money from the Consell de la República to his bank account; and the former IT manager of the organization, Ferran Revilla, reported that he received "pressure" from the former minister to "divert donations". In the same vein, the MEP has threatened to take legal action against the former advisor who reported him to the European Parliament for physical and sexual harassment for defamation, also after the Eurochamber ruled in favor of the former Junts worker.

After the controversy in the Consell, the leadership of Junts did not support Comín as a candidate to preside over the entity. In fact, Toni Castellà, a member of Junts' executive committee, tweeted that both he and the former president of the Generalitat had asked him not to run. Former minister Puig and, among other prominent figures from the Junts circle and exile, turned their backs on him and supported other candidacies.