The Spanish Supreme Court has granted amnesty to Meritxell Serret, former Minister of Agriculture in the Catalan government during the 2017 independence referendum. This decision marks the first time a member of the 2017 Catalan government has benefited from the amnesty law. Serret was previously sentenced to one year of disqualification and a €20,000 fine for disobedience related to facilitating the referendum.
In addition to Serret, the Supreme Court has also applied the amnesty to four former members of the Catalan Parliament Bureau: Lluís Maria Corominas, Anna Simó, Ramona Barrufet, and Lluís Guinó. These individuals were previously convicted of disobedience for allowing parliamentary procedures related to the referendum, despite a ban from the Constitutional Court.
The amnesty law, which has been a subject of significant legal and political discussion, was recently upheld by the Court of Justice of the European Union. This endorsement has paved the way for its application to various individuals involved in the 2017 independence movement.
The application of the amnesty law has been welcomed by Esquerra Republicana (ERC), the political party to which Serret belongs. ERC views this decision as a validation of their political strategy and has called for the amnesty to be extended to other cases related to the independence movement.
This development is significant as it may influence the legal status of other individuals involved in the 2017 referendum. The Supreme Court's decisions could lead to further applications of the amnesty law, potentially affecting the broader political landscape in Catalonia.