"In 2011 this magistrate received the medal of merit of Barcelona's Guàrdia Urbana delivered by Mayor Xavier Trias, of the same party as Carles Puigdemont, and when Quim Forn was first deputy mayor of Barcelona." "No impartial observer could see a lack of impartiality when Meritxell Serret appeared voluntarily before this magistrate and her freedom was agreed." "This magistrate has not appreciated that there are indications of criminality against some of those who were indicted in this procedure, such as Artur Mas, Marta Pascal or Neus Lloveras." Faced with the challenge presented by Puigdemont and the exiled former Catalan ministers, after he accepted an award from an entity that "fully defends the ideology of the far right" –in the defence's words–, the Villacisneros Foundation, the Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena answered that this distinction does not affect his impartiality as neither did that of the Guàrdia Urbana, received 10 years ago, and he tries to demonstrate it by listing "favourable" decisions for the defence.