The Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Constitutional Court has imposed daily fines of 12,000 euros on the number two at the Catalan Economy ministry, Josep Maria Jové, arrested yesterday in the Civil Guard operation aimed at avoiding the referendum, and the five members of the vote's electoral commission.
The head of the electoral administration, Montserrat Vidal i Roca, also considered responsible in the matter, has received a fine of 6,000 euros a day. The territorial members of the commission are also fined at that level.
24 hours leeway
The magistrates have given 24 hours from the publication of the fines in the BOE (Official State Gazette), so until 10am on Saturday, for the cited officials to renounce their respective roles or start to pay the fines. They address the Tax Agency, so that, in the case of non-compliance, it can start to take the necessary measures to collect the money.
This measure means that, for the first time, the high court has applied the reform to the law regulating it, giving it the possibility to impose sanctions to force compliance with its rulings.
The decision was unanimous, although 3 of the 12 magistrates of the court of guarantees will draft a concurrent vote setting out their position with regards to the imposition of these coercive measures.
The court was already able to give fines before the latest reform to the law controlling it, although the reform increased the amount they were able to set. The changes were aimed at improving the tools the court has at its disposal make people follow its decisions.
Last week, the court of guarantees asked administrators to report how they were complying with the suspension of the referendum. In response, the five members of the electoral commission appealed the magistrates of the court, looking for them to be recused from cases related to the referendum.