From today, he and the eight other jailed Catalan politicians will be allowed out of prison on day release. Rull was jailed last October for 10-and-a-half years for his part in the illegal declaration of independence in 2017. When Pujol confessed to the undeclared inheritance in 2014, fellow party member Josep Rull described him as “a thinker and a statesman” and “the man who led the recovery of self-government and who governed Catalonia as a nation, not a region”. The judge claims the organisation was led by Pujol and his wife, “who describes herself as the mother superior of the congregation” while the other key player was her son Jordi, known within the clan as “the parish priest”. While many in Catalonia will see the development as another conspiracy hatched by a hostile Spanish state, for much of the country it will be a welcome sign that the judiciary is clamping down on the sort of corruption that has been a hallmark of Spanish political life for the past 40 years.Īccording to the judge, the family concealed payments through fake contracts and tax havens and used its political influence to ensure that, in exchange for money, companies were awarded lucrative public contracts. But following Pujol’s initial confession, investigators uncovered a series of corrupt operations and cash for favours, especially on the part of his eldest son, also called Jordi. The scandal emerged just as the Catalan independence movement was hitting its stride and was largely ignored or even dismissed by some Catalans as a Madrid-based conspiracy. The scandal first broke in 2014 when Pujol admitted that he had failed to declare funds held in Andorra, which he claimed derived from his inheritance, a claim the judge says is unsubstantiated.ĭuring his time as regional president, Pujol played the kingmaker in Madrid, wringing more concessions and greater political autonomy for Catalonia in return for supporting minority governments on both right and left. PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Lisa Middleman is running for district attorney as a criminal justice reformer, aiming to make the system fairer and more hospitable to the poor and minorities. The judge said that some of this activity took place from 1980 to 2003, when Pujol was the Catalan president. We see it in restaurants with people setting at the same table, on their phones and not talking with each other.In his 509-page ruling, judge José de la Mata of the Audiencia Nacional, the criminal court that deals with terrorism and organised crime, said: “For decades the Pujol Ferrusola family has used its highly privileged position in Catalan political, social and economic life to accumulate huge wealth through corrupt activities.”ĭe la Mata said a seven-and-a-half year investigation had exposed the family as a criminal organisation involved in money laundering, tax fraud and false documentation. We have replaced people with metrics to measure how we are doing instead of talking to our people. This march towards separating ourselves from each other and our leaders continues. We have all seen and may be guilty of being only 15 feet from another person at work and instead of walking over to talk to them in person, we email or text them. They are “Consumers” to be sold to, not people with hopes and dreams like they have. Business no longer cared about you, if you were in the way of making the quarterly numbers, you were let go. Lisa Middleman, Franklin Park Age: 59 Current position: Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender, Major Felony Unit private practice Education: University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Leaders had now broken that feeling of trust between workers and leaders. (Besides the Vietnam War, Watergate, Exon, etc) we introduced mass lay-offs. As these Boomers moved into leadership another event took place. This idea of sacrifice for the greater good shifted to more of sacrifice for what I want. When they came of age, they shifted this work effort into their careers, often with both parents working to have more of life’s abundance. This “Me” Generation had the cultural revolution in the 60’s and early 70’s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |