Isla meets with Pujol during his family's trial

San Fernando de HenaresWhile the trial of the Pujol Ferrusola family continues at the National Court – accused, among other things, of illicit association and money laundering – Salvador Illa makes a second approach to Jordi Pujol and Soley. After the first meeting within the framework of the round Illa met with former presidents of the Generalitat last Friday at the Palau de Pedralbes because the current Catalan president wanted to inquire about Pujol's health, who a few weeks ago He was hospitalized for pneumonia.According to sources within the Generalitat who spoke to ARA, the news was first reported. The VanguardThis coincides with the fourth day of the trial, which is being held in San Fernando de Henares. Three weeks ago, the National Court decided continue judging Jordi Pujol and Soley although the medical reports They advised against it

The big news this Wednesday was that the court accepted the testimony of key figures from the patriotic police force in the trial. It thus approved five names requested by the defense teams of the Pujol family, who They pointed to the sewers of the State as the "illicit" origin and "original sin" of the legal case. The court "has no objection" to summoning the top brass of Operation Catalonia, but warns that it will be "very strict" in validating the questions and urges the defense to formulate cross-examinations "absolutely focused" on the case to avoid conducting "different proceedings within the proceedings." Those who will have to testify are José Manuel Villarejo –retired National Police commissioner–, Eugenio Pino –former Deputy Director of the Police (DAO)–, Marcelino Martín-Blas –former head of the Internal Affairs Unit–, Celestino Barroso –former Interior Ministry attaché at the embassy in Andorra–, and Bonifa Nacional.

In this way, the three judges have overturned the initial court's decision –two of the three magistrates were replaced because one judge retired and another was considered biased because she had ruled on the appeals–. "The aspects you point out are striking, to say the least, and the court wants to have a basic understanding," argued José Ricardo de Prada. The decision has come as a bit of a surprise to some of the defense lawyers, although it's clear to everyone who made it possible: the judge who is credited with the harshest statements in the Gürtel case ruling—which prompted Pedro Sánchez's vote of no confidence against Mariano Rajoy—and who vouched for a witness during the trial. This fourth session of the trial was attended in person by four of the Pujol siblings—the eldest son, along with Marta Pujol, Pere Pujol, and Oleguer Pujol—and two businessmen—Luis Delso and Francesc Robert Ribes.

On the other hand, the court has also responded—partially—to the preliminary issues raised by the defense. One of the few clear conclusions it has reached is that the National Court is indeed competent to try the case because some of the acts were "fully committed" abroad—and, therefore, it rejects sending the case to the Barcelona Provincial Court. However, regarding the remaining complaints, the court has deferred to the future ruling and has not yet addressed the statute of limitations, whether the investigation was prospective, or the influence of Operation Catalonia on the origins of the case. "We do not have all the necessary information to make a full ruling," explained José Ricardo de Prada.

The first witnesses

And the first three witnesses testified. The first to speak was Cristina Isabel de Francisco Cotorruelo, who was Jordi Pujol Ferrusola's personal secretary and the only employee of the companies he owned with his wife, Mercè Gironès. She worked as an administrator, organizing trips for the eldest son—for example, to Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Gabon, and the United States—and preparing invoices with the information he provided. Furthermore, in 2001, she appeared as the sole shareholder of Project Marketing, one of the companies owned by the former president of the Generalitat's eldest son and his wife. However, she claimed it was an "administrative error" by the advisors, who had mistakenly given her name. When the eldest son returned from his trip, she sold him the shares—50% to him and 50% to his wife—and the matter was resolved.

Next up was Núria Pujol Gironès, daughter of Jordi Pujol Ferrusola and Mercè Gironès. The focus was on a €585,000 transfer her father made to her in July 2014, which she used to buy the property one of his companies owned on Ganduxer Street. At the time, the National Court suspected it was a money laundering scheme, but she maintained it was the means for her to become independent. Her parents agreed to it when they divorced: "It was so I could buy the apartment I live in now," she explained. She was the only daughter living in Spain, had a low income, and couldn't afford to live alone or share an apartment. She moved there in 2016, when she got married.

Mercè Gironès' lawyer, Oriol Rusca, took the opportunity to emphasize the role her mother played within the family. "She was at home with us and took care of us. As far as I remember, she didn't have a salary; my father was the one who worked," Núria Pujol Gironès initially stated in response to questions from the prosecutor. Rusca then pressed her: "Was she involved in business?" he asked. "My mother didn't work with my father," she replied. "Did she have any business or commercial knowledge?" he reiterated. "No, she started studying law, lasted a year, and then went back to work with her father," her daughter recalled, also stressing that the divorce was "hard and very complicated" for her. Along the same lines of defense, Cristina de Francisco Cotorruelo had previously stated, in response to questions from Rusca, that Gironès did not have a company email address, was only "punctual" in the office, and did not supervise her work.