The judge investigating three Mossos d’Esquadra agents for cover-up for their alleged collaboration in the escape of Carles Puigdemont When he reappeared in Barcelona, on August 8, he refused to summon the previous leadership of the Corps, headed by the commissioner, to testify. Eduard Sallentnot considering it pertinent in the case that they should give explanations about the design of the device for their arrest. For this reason, one of the agents has taken advantage of his right this Wednesday not to testify before the owner of the Investigative Court 24 of Barcelonain charge of the case, as explained by his lawyer, Cèsar Lagonigro, at the gates of the City of Justice.
It was the Catalan Police itself, in charge of designing the operation to arrest Puigdemont which after his escape arrested three agents, understanding that they had collaborated in the escape. After being released, they were provisionally suspended from their duties, a situation in which they still find themselves. Lagonigro, a lawyer from the Mosso who was summoned this Wednesday, investigated for being the owner of the car in which the ‘ex-president’ got into after the event at Arc de Triomf, has indicated that they have already presented a appeal -before the Provincial Court- against the judge’s decision, to once again demand the testimony of the Mossos leadership who designed the “disproportionate” device, considering it “basic” to exercise the defense of the investigated agent, who he claims is not participated “in the events of which he is accused.”
Furthermore, the lawyer, who had requested to suspend his client’s statement, has pointed out that he does not have all the information about the case – “we only have the first of three volumes” – and thus considers that the situation generates a “terrible helplessness.” to the agent. He therefore rejects that the Mosso’s refusal to testify is a defense strategy, and has reiterated that the police officer did not participate in the events of which he is accused. It is true that the vehicle was in his name – as recorded in the General Directorate of Traffic – but that “it had been years” since he had used it, but had exchanged it with an acquaintance for a van. Something that, according to the lawyer, he already explained on the day of his arrest.
Precisely that acquaintance is the one who was driving the car, a white Honda, the day Puigdemont left Paseo Lluís Companys after his brief intervention on the day of his reappearance in Barcelonaseven years after fleeing to Belgium to evade Spanish justice in the 1-O case. For his part, the mosso now under investigation had already been on leave for more than 18 months and “was not paid.” [la prestación] already from the Interior. For this reason, another of his defense arguments is that on August 8 he was unable to receive any communication or order from Sallent or any other command of the Corps regarding the arrest of the former Catalan president.
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