Montaner denounces political persecution against her in the Costa case
The politician calls the act «dictatorial» and indicates that he will take the case to GRECO The Public Prosecutor asks the leader of AE for compensation of around 85,000 euros for Costa
The current leader of Andorra Endavant, Carine Montaner, could be disqualified from her public position for two years and faces a conditional sentence of two years in prison, as requested by the Public Prosecutor, for the complaint made by the then General Counsel Ferran Costa for an alleged crime of revealing secrets, when Montaner made her salary public. So, Costa is asking for compensation of around 64,000 euros, although the leader of Andorra Endavant indicated last Wednesday morning that the figure could be around 85,000 euros including moral damages. Nevertheless, Montaner mentioned that «punishing a parliamentarian for something like this is typical of a dictatorship» and pointed out that she will take the case to the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO).
To remember the context, it is necessary to go back to the year 2020, when Montaner, then General Counselor of Terceravia, requested from the CASS the contribution sheets of her parliamentary group corresponding to the previous year to send to a management company. The parapublic, however, «by mistake issued the sheets that corresponded to the Liberal parliamentary group», according to a document sent by Costa’s lawyer to the Superior Court of Justice, thus discovering Montaner that Costa was receiving a salary supplement. So, the prosecutor’s office indicates that Montaner «improperly» disclosed this information, and it was later disclosed in a media outlet, generating a lot of media pressure and causing Costa to resign from the supplement, which led him to denounce the current leader of Andorra Endavant in considering the facts as an alleged major crime of revealing secrets. «If it was evil-minded, I would think it’s a foul play at a high level», mentioned Montaner last Wednesday, before adding that this issue will not only stay in the Principality: «It will cross borders and we will be an international embarrassment».
In the text it is also written that Montaner took advantage «for her own political benefit of the moment of economic tension» of the country and of the companies following the Covid-19 «to divulge salary information [...] to harm her publicly (to Ferran Costa), personally and politically, without any measure, scruple or shame”. In this sense, Montaner commented that «they want to remove me from the middle of the political map, I have been saying this for a long time and now I am certain, to defend the citizens’ pockets and good governance. This weakens democracy.»
It should be noted that the Superior Court, as indicated in the record dated January 31st, has closed the case for the oral trial, which, as also stated in the text, has called for different witnesses between which there are political figs from the previous legislature to testify, such as Carles Ensenyat, Maria Marticella, Mònica Bonell, Ladislau Baró, Pere López, Susanna Vela, Jordi Gallardo or Josep Pintat.
In case of disqualification / In the event that Carine Montaner ends up being disqualified, according to the legal services of the General Council, she would remain as a director without salary and without participation in any session of the General Council. Despite this, Montaner explained that «I would continue to maintain my parliamentary group». In other words, «she would be like a counselor, but frozen. No one would replace me, but I couldn’t participate either”. Thus, the formation of Andorra Endavant would be left with two directors instead of three, with Noemí Amador and Marc Monteagudo.
Thanks to the general trustee / On the other hand, Carine Montaner wanted to thank the general trustee Carles Ensenyat for his intervention in the case. «He is a statesman, and he is very concerned about the political image, and this complaint obviously stains him», mentioned the current leader of Andorra Endavant, while adding that Ensenyat «tried to organize a meeting in his office in which Mr. Costa didn’t come.»
«This issue will not only stay in the country, but it will also cross borders and we will be an international embarrassment»