Salvador Illa asked for "common sense" from the justice system after learning that the National Court was forcing Jordi Pujol to travel to Madrid to testify, and this Thursday the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, did so. "Surely [Jordi Pujol's health status] could have been checked in Barcelona. But it is a decision of the court," he stated in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio. Bolaños is confident that with the forensic doctor's examination, "Pujol's health status will be verified and a definitive decision will be made." "Judicial processes should not be more burdensome for the people who suffer them than strictly necessary," Bolaños added.

"I ask for sanity." After the National High Court's decision to summon Jordi Pujol to testify in person, Salvador Illa has defended the former president and called on the justice system to reconsider the health conditions in which he finds himself. The head of the Catalan executive recounted a call he received last week from Pujol, in which he explained that he was very "excited" to attend the inauguration of the Pau Casals Year in El Vendrell, but that he was "weak" and did not feel "up to it" to go.

Jordi Pujol i Soley will have to go personally to Madrid next Monday for a forensic doctor to examine him. If he gives the green light, Pujol will have to testify as a defendant in the trial against his family and several businessmen that has been taking place at the National Court for five months. In November, when the trial began, five forensic experts said he "is not in physical or cognitive condition" to be tried. Five months have passed and here we are again, the court wants to re-examine Pujol.Today the children are meeting with their lawyer, Cristóbal Martell, but there is nothing to be done to prevent the trip. In terms of cognitive abilities, Jordi Pujol is more or less the same as in November, although in an obvious process of regression. Consider that at the beginning of June, less than two months from now, he will be 96 years old. Apparently, Pujol does not understand why he was able to testify from home, remotely, when the trial began, and yet now they are making him go, even though, however old he may be, he understands that the images of him heading towards the Court and on the defendants' bench are very tempting.The question remains: why don't they want Pujol to testify telematically now? Why don't they trust what the forensic experts said in November? Because since November, Pujol may not have worsened, but he certainly hasn't improved. And why don't they send the forensic experts to Barcelona and examine him here? President Puigdemont yesterday cried out: “They can’t be more miserable”, he denounces. He believes that the National Court is seeking “scorn” and a photo to “humiliate not only a person, but above all what he represents”, and says that if it weren’t for his condition as an exile, he would have accompanied Pujol to Madrid “with great pleasure”. It is true that we saw Pujol not many weeks ago going to vote in the elections of Barça. And that he attends public events. But let's not be mistaken. One thing is to go to vote, which only requires a physical effort, and another is to sit in a trial in which you are accused and they ask for prison for you, and in which you have to defend yourself. Everyone who has spoken to Pujol says that he doesn't hear, that he makes them repeat the questions and that he asks you again something that you have only just answered him a moment ago.If we talk about justice, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office is asking for nine years in prison for the former Catalan president for the crimes of illicit association and money laundering. But you know what happens? That over thirty sessions, with 95% of the trial held, with expert and face-to-face testimonies, the former president's name has practically not even been mentioned. Therefore, and do not think that what I am about to say is an exaggerated pirouette, sending him to Madrid may also have another meaning (in addition to the mockery): that the judge may cover himself, may say that, after having him go there and have him examined by forensic experts, they are removing him from the case. In essence, it is quite possible that the court would prefer to say that they cannot judge him rather than having to acquit him, which, seeing how the trial has gone, would not be at all unlikely.Good morning.

Jordi Pujol i Soley will have to go "personally" to Madrid on Monday, April 27, for a forensic doctor to examine him as a preliminary step to his declaration as a defendant in the trial against his family and nine businessmen that has been underway in the National Court for five months. This is stated in a resolution, to which ARA has had access, which summons the former president of the Generalitat at 9:30 in the morning, despite the fact that "forensic doctors said in November"he is not in physical or cognitive condition" to be tried. Now the National Court is once again offering him the opportunity to provide "documents he deems appropriate for his medical evaluation." At 10 a.m. the declarations of the defendants will begin. Furthermore, the forensic doctor will have to be present "for the entire duration" of Pujol's declaration. Afterwards, it will be the turn of his eldest son, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, who has been attending the sessions throughout the trial and who spearheaded the businesses and operations at the center of the case. The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office is requesting nine years in prison for the former Catalan president for the crimes of illicit association and money laundering.

"In this new phase, we do not think a Catalan unity government is convenient. We must consolidate the institutions and accustom the country to the presidency of the Generalitat, but the time has come to govern". He probably did not imagine he would do so for 23 consecutive years, but the day after the 1980 elections, a triumphant Jordi Pujol was already beginning to envision that his main mission should be the creation of autonomous Catalonia. This year marks 46 years since Pujol was invested president, and it so happens that he has now been out of government for as many years as he spent at the head of the Generalitat.

"There are many people who live and work here and will never be Catalan." This is how forceful Sílvia Orriols was, in a conference at Fòrum Europa Tribuna Catalunya, in mid-February. She was referring explicitly to the Muslim community in our country, because she considers their integration into Catalan society to be impossible. It was not the first time that the leader of Aliança Catalana, a declared Islamophobe, had made such a statement. It is part of a recurrent discourse that she has expressed since she arrived at the Ripoll Town Council in 2019. This stance clashes with the definition of Catalan identity traditionally defended by Catalanism. It is a total amendment to one of the most famous phrases of former president Jordi Pujol: "He is Catalan who lives and works in Catalonia and wants to be." During his long tenure, the leader of Convergència never tired of repeating this idea, a result of the debate about who was Catalan with the arrival between 1950 and 1970 of thousands of immigrants from various parts of Spain. Pujol defended civic integration, not integration by origin, under the premise that being Catalan did not depend on being born in Catalonia, but on wanting to be part of the country. He also sought to avoid social division for fear of creating two separate communities: that oforiginal Catalans and that of immigrants. And finally, with the desire for Catalanism to broaden its social base.

Juntos, from its inception, aimed to downplay the Convergència ideology. With the PDeCAT as the direct heir of Convergència and the height of the independence movement, Carles Puigdemont envisioned a party that would be more of a mechanism for uniting pro-independence supporters than an ideological structure for confronting the left-right divide. But this founding objective of the 2017 candidacy has evolved over the years. This is not only due to the demise of the PDeCAT or the political normalization of Jordi Pujol, who had been publicly repudiated by a large part of Catalan society since 2014. The Convergència ideology has been revitalized within the Junts ranks, even penetrating the party leadership, albeit with certain limitations. Discreet meetings have even begun to be organized to emphasize the change of course, which, in fact, already began, especially after the party congress in 2024.

February 8

Elections

2026 begins with rumblings of a possible snap election in Spain due to the various crises plaguing Pedro Sánchez's party. But while this remains unconfirmed, several regional elections are scheduled for this year, serving as a prelude to the struggle for the Spanish government. The People's Party (PP) will test its majority in Aragon—where it has been unable to form a coalition government with Vox and has called elections—on February 8, in Castile and León on March 15, and in Andalusia in June. These three dates are crucial for gauging the strength of the PSOE-PP battle for the central government, which could very well become another major election of the year.

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Carlos Vilarrubí y Carrió (Barcelona, ​​​​1954), death this morningIt could be said that he knew how to make excellent use of all his senses. Taste, of course, as president of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition since 2016. He also knew how to surround himself with the most knowledgeable people, such as chef Carme Ruscalleda, or his vice president, Joan Font, among others. Given his aptitude for economics, he was able to interpret the immense potential of gastronomic activity in Catalonia. Taste and sight.

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Sánchez's appearance to take stock of the year was exactly as we had predicted: he will hold on.

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While 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

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Killing the father figure is important for life in general, but for politics it is absolutely necessary. Politics is a collective discussion about the nature of good and what we must do to achieve it, and change begins when the feeling spreads that the old vision that explained it to us is running out and a new one is needed. Any political renewal is always a "transvaluation of values," as Nietzsche said; someone who points out that the emperor has no clothes, that what everyone says is no longer tenable, and that where no one is looking is precisely where we should focus our attention. The charismatic leader acts like the modern artist, who denounces the fossilization of the old canon and proposes a new form that challenges it from top to bottom—a scandal. In the feverish moment of cultural revelation, the break with the past anoints the breaker with an aura of irresistible novelty, and then the marginal takes center stage and begins to rise like foam.

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This week, the trial of the Pujol family began. In the National Court, one lawyer's intervention stood out among the defense arguments. This was Cristóbal Martell, who is defending former president Jordi Pujol and several of his children, including Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, the family member for whom the prosecution is seeking the longest prison sentence. Martell's presentation of preliminary matters served to introduce many topics that the other lawyers responded to and elaborated upon, earning him praise from fellow lawyers present in the courtroom who were defending other defendants. For example, Fermín Morales, the lawyer for an Andorran businessman under investigation for doing business with Pujol Jr., described Martell's intervention as "brilliant": "It leaves little room for nuance." Martell, who has represented, among others, Messi, Dani Alves, and Jonathan Andic, the son of the founder of Mango, explains to ARA that he takes his work with great "responsibility and commitment." "Ultimately, someone has placed a problem they're suffering in your hands," he says. That's why he believes the profession requires "a lot of dedication and hard work." Legal professionals in the sector who have known him for years highlight his "exceptional oratory skills," as well as his "extremely important" legal training. "There are many people who know a lot about law but don't know how to present it, and this man is phenomenal," they say. In fact, this skill was evident during his appearance on Monday, with constant gestures and exclamations that created a much more expressive and passionate discourse than what is usually seen in courtrooms. However, Pujol's lawyer admits that he tries not to listen to himself afterward: "I'm very embarrassed by it, I don't like it."

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This week, the trial of President Pujol, his children, and several others involved in the case finally began. Three questions immediately come to mind, and I'll offer some initial answers.

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The CEO poll showing Aliança Catalana tied with Junts in seats is still causing a stir, and we'll talk about it shortly. First, a moment from this morning in the Congressional control sessionFeijóo, of course, asked Sánchez about the conviction of the Attorney General (of which, by the way, we still don't have the sentence) and Sánchez, despite being in dire straits, surrounded by those under investigation and unable to pass budgets, didn't even flinch:

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"What am I doing here?" "What am I defending myself against?" These are two questions that have been raised by two of the lawyers for the accused businessmen in the trial of the Pujol Ferrusola family which summarize the impotence expressed by the rest of the defense teams during the second session. They all converged in repeatedly denouncing violations of the right to a defense, the right to a fair trial, the right to effective judicial protection, and the adversarial principle. Basically, they believe that the facts that have brought them to trial are vague and indeterminate, and that their description can only lead to exoneration.

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The family is made up of human beings. No two people are alike, and therefore, differences in potential grow and develop between parents, between siblings, and between parents and siblings, forming complex power systems that culminate in unique relationships of dependency. The figure of the eldest sibling is a classic example: they believe themselves to be superior to others and, at the same time, entitled to take advantage of their parents (the figure of the heir, enshrined in this country, is a perverse institutionalization of this reality). If the family is large, the dynamics become more complex, as do the combinations of loyalties. There is a far from innocent tendency to believe that everything is justified in the family's best interest. And it is in this context that the principle of reality is often lost, and nihilism unfolds: everything is permitted. Simultaneously, internal rivalries and loyalties take shape, with the father-mother dynamic as the guiding thread.

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Together, the party ideologically heir to the defunct Convergència finds itself in a rather un-Pujol-esque predicament: competing for the anti-immigration narrative with a far-right party that is eating away at its electorate, according to polls and surveys. Pujol, as an ideologue and as president, knew how to avoid the tempting trap of blaming immigrants for the country's ills: he clung to Candel like a lifeline and offered a message of welcome, integration, and a united effort. "Anyone who lives and works in Catalonia is Catalan," "We are 6 million," "Catalonia, one people." etc. The appeal to unity, to citizenship as an essential source of rights for both those rooted in the community and for newcomers, is one of the political merits that should not be denied to someone who was undoubtedly a key figure in the construction of present-day Catalonia.

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Former Catalan president Jordi Pujol will finally take his place in the dock.Although doctors warn that he is not fit to stand trial, the National Court has decided to keep him and his seven children as defendants in the case that will determine whether the family's fortune abroad came from alleged corrupt dealings or was, as the former president has always maintained, an inheritance from his grandfather Florenci. The decision is not final: the judges reserve the right to review it once Pujol has his turn to testify. Experts consulted by ARA agree that only then will a full analysis of the decision's impact on the defense rights of the former president, his children, and the other accused businessmen be possible. However, they also warn that it is rare for a court to deviate from an opinion endorsed by two independent experts, in addition to the former president's doctors.

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By 7:30 in the morning, journalists were already waiting at the entrance to the National Court building in San Fernando de Henares. The location, in the middle of an industrial park, is hardly inviting: asphalt, trucks, warehouses, and surrounded by National Police officers. It's also that dry cold of the central plateau which requires wearing gloves, a hat, and a fleece. All the cameramen are waiting for one image: the Pujol family entering the National Court. The Pujols could hardly have imagined, when the father left the presidency of the Generalitat 22 years ago, that they would all end up in the dock in Madrid. The untouchables not only ceased to be so, but became the State's scapegoat during the Process. A Process that no longer fills newspaper front pages, but which was very much present again today in the session in San Fernando de Henares.

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