Jordi Basté Comes to the Rescue of Laura Borràs, Convicted of Corruption

The Supreme Court confirmed this Wednesday the sentence of 4 and a half years in prison and 13 years of disqualification for Laura Borràs. The former president of the Parliament will go to prison for the crimes of perversion of justice and document forgery. The court has dismissed the defense's appeal and also ruled out applying the amnesty law.

Independence supporters have rushed to defend the convicted of corruption. Among them, Jordi Basté. The host of El Món a Rac1 dedicated his editorial to her today, speaking of a "disproportionate sentence" and "repression disguised as justice."

With his editorial, Jordi Basté fuels the theory of lawfare according to which the Spanish state uses justice to repress independence supporters. In reality, Laura Borràs has been convicted for using her position to irregularly award a split contract worth 335,700 euros.

Conduct that, according to the sentence, "is inserted in the corruption of a public official who places themselves outside the law, disobeys it, and violates the principles that inform how public administration should act."

Basté Plays the Victim to Save Laura Borràs

Basté claims that the case has been marked from the start by a "double standard." In his opinion, "when it comes to independence politicians, Spanish justice applies extreme harshness." The host admits Laura Borràs's "irregularities" but criticizes that in other cases it has been solved with an administrative sanction.

Which leads him to conclude that Spanish justice has taken advantage of the case to "remove an uncomfortable figure." In the usual victimizing tone of the pro-independence movement, Basté says that she is not judged for what she has done but for who she is. "For her trajectory and her defense of Catalonia's independence," he added.

For Basté, with this sentence, the Spanish state wants to send a clear message: "Whoever rebels against the status quo will be punished harshly."

The host concludes by saying that "it is a new alert about the use of justice as a tool of repression." He ends by saying that "the fight for freedom and democracy is more necessary than ever."

Borràs, in the Hands of the Government

The confirmation of the sentence now leaves Laura Borràs's future in the hands of Pedro Sánchez's government. Only a pardon could save the former president of the Parliament from prison. Junts could pressure the central government to pardon Laura Borràs.

Among other things, because the confirmation of the sentence also complicates Borràs's presence as president of the Junts foundation. For now, the pro-independence media apparatus has already started its work.