Spanish PM rejects accusations over Mas indictment

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday rejected accusations that the decision to indict Catalan leader Artur Mas on charges of civil disobedience were politically motivated, saying it was "false' and "deeply unfair" to level such accusations.

Mas and two other colleagues were indicted on Tuesday to appear in court on October 15 to face charges ranging from civil disobedience, preventing the course of justice and misuse of public funds for organizing an unofficial independence vote in November last year and could be banned from public office for 10 years if found guilty.

The fact the indictment came just two days after elections for the Catalan Regional Assembly (in which Mas's 'Together for Yes' pro-independence party and CUP, a left-wing pro-independence faction won 72 seats in the 135 seat assembly), has led to criticism that the charges and their timing has a clear political motivation from Madrid, something Rajoy denied in the Spanish Congress.

"There is a separation of powers here (In Spain)," insisted Rajoy. "The government has nothing to do with the decisions which are taken by the Higher Court in Catalonia and the only thing that we do, as we do with all courts, is to accept them and respect them."

"This is a judicial decision and Mr Mas will have to attend court just as any other person who has been indicted and answer the questions they put to him," he concluded.

Mas meanwhile explained that he had not carried out an act of disobedience in allowing the symbolic November 9 vote to proceed.

"Legally we did not disobey. Politically there was a democratic revolution: we put out ballow boxes," he said, explaining that the Catalan authority had asked the Spanish Constitutional Court if the vote should be suspended and "as they didn't reply, we didn't stop." Endit