Catalunya MP gets year-long public office ban for his role in 'informal' 2014 referendum

FORMER regional minister of Catalunya and MP for PdeCat Francesc Homs has been banned by a Supreme Court judge from holding any political position for the next 13 months in punishment for his involvement in the non-binding informal independence referendum in November 2014.

Homs has been ordered to pay a fine of €30,000 for 'sedition', but charges of power-dealing have been dropped.

He would have faced a nine-year ban on political office if he had been found guilty of the latter, an offence involving misuse of public funds – implied, in the prosecution's view, by the fact that the 'illegal' referendum would have involved a certain amount of taxpayers' money to organise.

According to Homs, he 'owes nothing to anyone, except to the people of Catalunya' who 'chose him as MP', and has thanked his supporters for their well wishes via the Twitter hashtag #hotornariaafer ('I would do it again').

“Their support is not just for me as a person, but goes beyond that: it's a reaction to our multiple democratic commitment,” Homs says.

“Sentencing us for setting up ballot boxes is a big mistake and is a sign of weakness in the Spanish State.

“We've won today, and we'll carry on winning!”

Spokeswoman for the regional government of Catalunya, Neus Munté, called the verdict against Homs 'unjust' and says the cabinet will 'defend its defence strategy', even if that means turning to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

“We do not accept that you can be banned from public office for ideas, voting slips and allowing 2.3 million people to exercise democracy,” storms Sra Munté.

Catalunya's then president, Artur Mas, defied the Spanish central government and called a non-binding public vote on the region's independence on November 9, 2014, given that he had been threatened with legal action, sedition charges and even prison by the PP if he went ahead with a full-blown referendum.

Results showed that those who voted were slightly more in favour of independence than unity, and critics say the national government covering its ears and humming whenever Catalunya's secession is mentioned is merely fuelling the breakaway movement, earning it more supporters as angry catalanes feel they are being ignored.

Mas has been banned from public office by the regional high court of Catalunya, but this is not immediate as the verdict is open to appeal through the Supreme Court.

He says he will do so on the grounds that free democratic expression is enshrined in the Spanish Constitution.