The Court of Auditors also takes aim at Junts and the late Valents (in addition to Aliança Catalana)

BarcelonaAliança Catalana has failed its first examination before the Court of Auditors: The auditing body has detected serious irregularities regarding its financing in the elections that placed Silvia Orriols at the head of the Ripoll mayor's office. It is not, however, the only Catalan party that is itching to be arrested in the report on electoral expenditure for the 2023 municipal electionsTogether for Catalonia –under the brand Compromís Municipal– and Valents –the party founded by Eva Parera

What is the Court of Auditors accusing Junts of? That it has exceeded the limit of permitted spending in the municipal elections by 314,659.73 euros, 22.91% more than the legal limit. It is a very serious infringement, as established by the organic law on party financing, and for which it could receive a fine of between double and five times the excess. The report also warns of excessive spending on outdoor advertising, 1.66% higher than permitted. It also identifies other irregularities that, in this case, are not punishable; for example, having paid suppliers outside the deadline established by law. For all these reasons, the electoral subsidy is reduced by 10% of the amount of these expenses.

The reproaches of the Court of Auditors to Valientes are the last nail in the coffin of this formation: the party entered into bankruptcy and the judge, on January 1, 2024, decreed its dissolution. In the report, the members of the Court of Auditors reproach him for the disarray in his accounts. He has not justified expenses worth 95,000 euros nor has he presented the documentation requested by the court, which constitutes a minor infringement of the law on party financing due to lack of collaboration. The entity detects the same lack of justification in the expenses of the electoral mailings, worth 353,082.15 euros, which the party never recovered because it did not achieve representation. It also points out irregular financial donations –without giving name, surname, ID or address– and contributions of 43,500 euros “whose origin has not been fully proven”. Hence, and for having paid suppliers late, a penalty of 10% is applied in the reduction of the electoral subsidy.

Another surprising case is that of Alternativa per Olèrdola: it has exceeded the spending limit it was allowed (427.24 euros) by 770.6%. In addition, it exceeded the spending limit on press and radio advertising by 332%, investing 283 euros when it could only spend 85. Both are very serious infractions. The same has happened to Ara Decidim Ripollet –which has exceeded it by 19.5%.

Paying suppliers late is punishable.

Apart from these parties, there is no other Catalan party that has committed punishable irregularities, according to the Court of Auditors. However, both the PSC (under the brand Candidatura de Progreso) and the Comunes (under the brand Confluencia) and the PDECat (under the brand Ara Pacte Local) have seen their subsidy for expenses reduced by 10% for having paid suppliers late. The same has happened to Tot x Terrassa, Jordi Ballart's party, which the Court of Auditors has called attention to regarding its treasury: it made payments "of a non-electoral nature", worth 7,700 euros, using the bank account that parties must open only to pay and receive aid for the elections.

Esquerra (under the brand Acuerdo Municipal) and the CUP (Alternativa Municipalista) are the only two candidates that have not committed any irregularities and, therefore, have not been penalized in the review of the subsidy by the Court of Auditors.