The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal presented by the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, in which he claimed that the seized material during the illegal referendum day of October 1, 2017, in Catalonia, should be returned to him, arguing its "historical value" and opposing its destruction.
According to an order accessed by Europa Press, the Criminal Chamber reaffirms its previous decision to authorize the Mossos d'Esquadra to proceed with the destruction of the seized items, provided that at least one representative sample of each of them is preserved.
Puigdemont had expressed his rejection of the destruction and requested that, "given the testimonial, historical, and heritage value of the seized items," they be returned to him in his capacity as former president of the Generalitat to "receive them as a custodian, for the exclusive purposes of their proper custody, conservation, and preservation, considering them inseparable elements of the historical, institutional, and memorial legacy of Catalonia."
The Supreme Court has denied this request, considering that "the impropriety of delivering the seized objects in this case" to Puigdemont is obvious, since "he does not hold ownership, patrimonial legitimacy, or public competence for their conservation."
The court adds that "there is no reason that could justify the 'sine die' conservation of these items in the various police warehouses where they are located, which, in any case, would only lead to their progressive deterioration and, consequently, to their definitive loss over time."
At the same time, the high court defends that destruction "sufficiently preserves the possibility that, in other cases, the examination of the seized material may be necessary, since the corresponding samples of these items must be preserved" and rejects the need to seek the opinion of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, understanding that the material is under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
In the same resolution, the Supreme Court also dismisses the appeals of former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras and former councilor Raül Romeva, who had also opposed the elimination of said material.
The magistrates conclude in the order that, "given the nature of the facts judged and declared proven in this special case and the content of the conviction sentence issued at the time, and contrary to what the Public Prosecutor's Office maintains, what is debatable and even surprising is that one can affirm the existence in the seized material of political, institutional, and historical connotations or a supposed historical or heritage testimonial value."