At the height of the crisis in 2017, with the permission of the Presidium, laws that were contrary to the Spanish Constitution were brought before Parliament.
Former members of the Presidium of the Catalan Parliament were convicted in a case involving the adoption of secessionist laws in the midst of the 2017 crisis. This was the subject of a press release issued by the Supreme Court of Catalonia on Monday.
The legal authority said that the court “sentenced four former members of the Presidium of Parliament to 20 months’ deprivation of the right to hold elected public office. The convicts are also awaiting a fine of €30,000.
Former members of the Presidium of the Parliament were accused of disobedience. They held their posts at a time when the speaker of the Catalan House was Karme Forkadel. She had previously been brought before the Spanish Supreme Court in a case involving the organisation of a referendum on autonomy independence. She was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison.
On 1 October 2017, the referendum on the independence of Catalonia was held. Madrid initially called the plebiscite illegitimate and refused to recognise its results. On 27 October of the same year, the regional parliament approved a resolution proclaiming an independent republic. In response, the country’s authorities invoked Article 155 of the Constitution, which restricted the self-government of the region.
In the midst of the crisis, with the permission of the Presidium, laws that were contrary to the Spanish Constitution were brought before Parliament.