The Catalan government has finally responded to the Ministry of Finance's demand for information about the diverson of 6,150 euros detected by the administration. The Ministry was explicitly demanding to know whether this money had been spent on the preparation of the referendum planned for 1st October. The Catalan government's auditor, Rosa Vidal, sent the response after receiving a second letter from the Ministry of Finance on Monday afternoon, in which 24 hours were given to provide explanations, as well as warnings about the consequences of not doing so.
In the response from the auditor, it was denied that the money was used for the referendum of 1st October and, according to sources at the Catalan Depatment of Economy, it was assured that it was used for the "regular development and maintenance work of a computer system called the Electronic Plus Management System". This expense corresponds, according to the Catalan government's explanations, to the Telecommunications and Information Technology Centre (CTTI).
Ordinary reply
The first request from the Spanish government was sent by ordinary mail and e-mail, in addition to the order of the Delegate Commission published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) - and the second demand, where it was asked for a response within 24 hours, via e-mail. However, from the Department of Economy, the urgency of the situation was defused and a response was sent in the usual "time and manner", via e-mail. From the Department, it was assured that the demand for information from the Ministry of Finance is one of many that the Catalan government has received for months, and that this time the explanations were provided in the same way as usual.
In fact the Secretary of Finance, Lluís Salvador, had already advanced the answer in the morning during an interview with El Matí programme on Catalunya Ràdio.
It is precisely the fear of the Spanish administration that money is being used in the preparation of the referendum that led on Friday to the Delegate Committee on Economic Affairs to intensify the controls over the finances of the Catalan government, and which are now weekly. At the end of the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday, the spokesman, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, conditioned the money of the Autonomous Liquidity Fund (FLA) that the Catalan government receives, to it not spending a euro of its budget on the preparation of the referendum.
From the Spanish State, it was argued that the diversion of 6,150 euros detected on 13th July came under the programme 132. Organization, management and follow-up of electoral processes.