Jordi Pujol has arrived this Monday at 9:07 hours at the headquarters of the Audiencia Nacional in San Fernando de Henares to undergo a forensic medical examination that must determine if he is in a condition to testify in the trial in which the Fiscalía requests 9 years of prison.
The former president of the Generalitat has accessed the judicial building directly through the parking lot, located on the right side of the main entrance, without passing through the area where journalists were gathered. He was traveling in a car with tinted windows and accompanied by his son Pere. The doors closed before it could be seen if he was getting out of the vehicle.
The decision on his procedural situation now rests in the hands of the court, awaiting what the forensic experts conclude. If the examination certifies that he cannot testify, Pujol will be exempted and will be out of the case.
The trial enters the phase of statements
This Monday's session marks the beginning of the statements of the accused, after several weeks focused on witnesses and experts. Pujol's appearance was one of the most relevant points at the beginning of this phase, precisely because of the doubts about his capacity to participate in the procedure.
In the first session of the trial, held in November, Pujol intervened via telematics from his home. Then he explained to the court that he had difficulties with memory and communication, although he expressed his willingness to collaborate with justice despite the existence of medical reports that advised against his participation.
The Court postponed the decision until the end of the hearings
The court opted at that moment to postpone any resolution on his eventual exoneration until the start of the oral hearings of the accused, scheduled for this Monday. The examination performed now must clarify if he can be interrogated or if, on the contrary, he remains removed from the process.
The president of the court, José Ricardo de Prada, defended Pujol's summons with the argument that the National Court does not want to fall into ageism, a position with which he justified maintaining his presence in this phase pending a definitive medical evaluation.
Arrival of Oriol Pujol before the opening
Before the entry of Jordi Pujol to the judicial complex, his son Oriol Pujol had arrived at the doors of the court even before the opening of the accesses. He remained there for a few minutes accompanied by a lawyer.
The resolution on whether Jordi Pujol testifies or is exonerated from the case will depend on the forensic report, a decision that conditions one of the most sensitive moments of the hearing in the Audiencia Nacional.