Justice processes Laura Borràs for corruption and puts her political career in check

10/20/2021.- The President of the Parliament, Laura Borràs, with a mask from the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.

EFE/Quique GarcíaQuique García (EFE)

Justice has left the president of the Catalan Parliament, Laura Borràs, one step away from the dock and closer, too, to being forced to leave her seat.

Borràs has been prosecuted for four crimes of corruption — embezzlement, prevarication, fraud and false documentation — after dividing 18 contracts to benefit her computer friend Isaías H. between 2013 and 2018, when she directed the Institution of Catalan Letters (ILC ).

The magistrate of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) who has instructed the case, Jordi Seguí, accuses Borràs of "abusing his functions" by "agreeing" with Isaías to "defraud" the Generalitat body that promotes the creation literary in Catalan.

The irregularly awarded contracts add up to more than 300,000 euros.

The indictment puts the political career of the Junts per Catalunya (JxCAT) candidate in check in the last regional elections.

In criminal proceedings, the Prosecutor's Office will announce in the coming days the prison sentences and disqualification requested for Borràs;

in case of conviction, the president of the Parliament would have to leave public life, at least for a while.

Administratively, the end of her political career may be closer.

The key is in article 25 of the Parliament's regulations, which regulates the "suspension" of the rights and duties of deputies.

In court cases linked to crimes of corruption —such as the one affecting Borràs—, the Parliamentary Board must “agree on the suspension immediately” once an order to open an oral trial has been issued.

Despite the fact that the order issued this Monday is a preliminary step - that the defense of Borràs and the other three defendants can appeal -, it is most likely that the TSJC will issue that order in a matter of weeks, once it knows the conclusions of the prosecution.

The Parlament constituted on the 4th the commission of the regulation that will serve to update a norm that they consider outdated and that, in the words of Borràs, accumulates "inaccuracies and failures and that must be adapted".

The majority of parliamentary groups appealed in that session the need to regulate telematic voting, improve transparency or include the gender perspective and the anti-fascist pact, but none cited article 25. The question now remains as to whether the body will debate a new wording.

ERC and the CUP already disregarded Junts' proposal months ago to reform that section to shield Borràs.

Borràs landed as a senior position in the Government in 2013, when she was appointed to direct the Institution of Catalan Letters (ILC), an autonomous entity attached to the Department of Culture.

One of his first decisions was to promote the institution's web portal, a job for which he hired the computer scientist Isaías H. Both had maintained a previous "professional" relationship, both in the Hermeneia group (a research group in literary studies) and at the University of Barcelona.

Borràs decided to award a total of 18 minor contracts by hand to Isaías H., who at her request submitted budgets on behalf of other people and companies.

The 2013 and 2014 emails between the two, very explicit, are "sufficiently strong indications of collusion" to defraud the ILC.

The president of the Parliament not only knew of the irregularities but also gave Isaías specific instructions on how to proceed.

"The budget must remain as if you were independent professionals";

"I had thought that we could make you present to all four and only win one";

"Send me the concepts and approximate amounts and if it suits me, I'll do it," Borràs writes to his friend.

Despite the emails, which he has never wanted to comment on, Borràs tooth and nail defends his innocence.

She maintains that she is the victim of "political persecution" by the State - the investigation was led by the Mossos d'Esquadra - and, when she was called before the Supreme Court in July 2020 (she was a deputy in Congress) she accepted her right to do not declare