The Catalan president has been charged by Spain’s attorney general after the unofficial referendum on independence.
Artur Mas has been charged with disobedience, perverting the course of justice, misuse of public funds and abuse of power.
The charges all relate to the referendum which went ahead on 9 November despite the country’s constitutional court ruled that it was illegal.
The charge claims Mas “planned, supported and financed” the poll in defiance of the constitutional court.
Catalonia’s vice president and its education minister also face charges.
Spain’s president, Mariano Rajoy, has always insisted that the poll violated the constitution and would never be allowed. He took the matter to the constitutional court for its consideration and then later asked the attorney general to see if any crime had been committed when the poll took place.
Maurici Lucena, Catalan socialist party spokesman, described the move as “incomprehensible because all it does is benefit Mas.” Mas, whose popularity had dropped dramatically in recent months, has increasingly been perceived as a populist political martyr.
The Spanish vice president has insisted that the decision of the attorney general, Eduardo Torres-Dulce, was independent of political pressure.
At the recent G20 conference, Rajoy admitted he had not got his message across to the Catalan people so would visit Barcelona to convince them of the value of Spanish unity.
If the case makes it to court and the three are found culpable, they could be banned from public office for 10 years and face between six and 12 months imprisonment.
