What is Alvise Pérez accused of? The cases that have followed him all the way to the European Parliament
The European Parliament is processing two requests from the Supreme Court, which has two other open cases against the far-right MEP.
BrusselsSpanish far-right MEP Alvise Pérez (The Party's Over) He continues to accumulate cases in the Spanish justice system.However, as a representative of the European Parliament, he enjoys immunity. For this reason, at least for the moment, the Supreme Court has already requested the European Parliament to withdraw this judicial protection in two cases, and parliamentary sources from the Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs indicate that they will likely receive two more requests. Below, we detail the steps the European Parliament follows when evaluating requests to withdraw legal protection in general and the specific situation of the far-right MEP.
Ongoing cases
The European Parliament currently has two open investigations into the leader of "Se ha Acabado la Fiesta" (The Party's Over). The first was opened at the request of the Supreme Court on October 22nd and concerns the harassment of Susana Gisbert, the hate crimes prosecutor in Valencia, via social media. The second request, also submitted by the Supreme Court, was received by the European Parliament on Wednesday, November 12th, and relates to accusations of irregular financing for allegedly receiving €100,000 in cash from a businessman during the campaign for the last European elections.
Other potential cases
Sources within the European Parliament indicate that it is likely the European Parliament will have to evaluate further requests to lift immunity, especially given that the far-right politician is implicated in two other cases. The Supreme Court is also investigating the MEP for disseminating false evidence concerning the President of the Generalitat and former Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, and for an alleged crime of revealing secrets and harassing MEPs Diego Solier and Nora Junco, the second and third candidates on his electoral list, who left S'Acabat la Festa.
Steps and deadlines
According to the same parliamentary sources, the European Parliament's internal process usually takes around three months, although there have been cases where it has been processed more quickly and others where it has been substantially prolonged. The first step is the appointment of a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs to coordinate the evaluation of the request to lift parliamentary immunity, something that has so far only occurred in the first case. This MEP cannot be from Spain or from the same parliamentary group, although Alvise Pérez has not yet managed to align himself with any European political family. precisely because of his legal situation.
Afterwards, the European Parliament's committee organizes a hearing, and the MEPs on the committee can ask him all sorts of questions. In the case of former president Carles Puigdemont regarding the October 1st referendum, for example, the hearing lasted more than three hours. However, this is an extreme scenario that European Parliament sources consider unlikely, especially given that Pérez's case is less serious than that of the Junts leader. The far-right MEP will also be able to defend himself and present evidence to prevent the European Parliament from withdrawing his legal protection.
Once the hearing has taken place, the Committee on Legal Affairs will issue a conclusion, which will have been deliberated entirely behind closed doors. This conclusion must then be voted on by the entire European Parliament and is adopted by a simple majority. If they authorize it, the Supreme Court will have free rein against the leader of "The Party's Over."