Spain's Constitutional Court has ordered the public prosecution service to open an investigation against the speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Roger Torrent, its first deputy speaker, Josep Costa, and the first secretary of its governing Bureau, Eusebi Campdepadrós. The investigation is to ascertain whether they committed a possible crime of disobedience by allowing a vote on draft bills about self-determination and reproaching the Spanish monarchy.
The Constitutional Court in plenary session unanimously agreed to instruct the public prosecution service to, if it should find it appropriate, pursue "the criminal responsibility" which could correspond to the three politicians. The accusation would be that they breached a verdict by the same court which found unconstitutional and void resolutions passed by the Parliament on 25th July and 26th September last year.
Spain's attorney general, María José Segarra, had separately ordered the opening of an investigation last November after the Constitutional Court had given the speaker four warnings that breaching its resolutions could lead to criminal liability.
Torrent's predecessor as speaker, Carme Forcadell, is currently serving 11 years and six months in prison for sedition for her role in the 2017 independence push, particularly for allowing votes in the Parliament on the "laws of disconnection" and the later declaration of independence.