Former Spanish PM Rajoy to testify in Catalan separatists' trial

MADRID - Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will appear in the country's Supreme Court on Feb 26 as a witness in the ongoing trial of 12 Catalan separatist leaders who face charges ranging from rebellion to misuse of public funds in connection with Catalonia's independence referendum on Oct 1, 2017.

Rajoy was prime minister when the referendum, which the Spanish Constitutional Court had previously declared to be illegal, was held.

Rajoy is not the only political figure who will give evidence next week. Former Catalan leader Artur Mas will also take the witness stand.

The current Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Roger Torrent, as well as Joan Tarda, a member of the Catalan separatist party Ezquerra Republicana, and Catalan senator Marta Pascal are scheduled to testify on Feb 26.

Rajoy's former Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and former Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido all give evidence on Feb 27, while the leader of the Basque regional assembly, Inigo Urkullu, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, will testify on Feb 28.

The trial is expected to last three months, with a verdict to be given by August. Some of the accused, including former Catalan Vice-President Oriol Junqueras, face sentences of up to 25-years in jail if found guilty.

Rajoy made history earlier in 2017 when he became the first serving Spanish prime minister to appear as a witness in a court case. He appeared in court to give evidence in the so-called 'Gurtel' case, which investigated corruption and the illegal financing of his right-wing People's Party (PP).