An Andorran judge informs Rajoy that she is investigating him for Operation Catalonia

An Andorran judge has informed former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the former Minister of the Interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz that they are being investigated due to a complaint that they pressured the Private Bank of Andorra (BPA) to hand over information on Catalan politicians that had accounts in the bank. 

The complaint in question was filed by the Institut de Drets Humans d'Andorra (Institute of Human Rights Andorra), and the former president of BPA, Higini Cierco, against Operation Catalonia, which played a vital part in the closure of the bank. While the complaint was initially directed against members of the “patriotic police”, it was extended to include Rajoy and Fernández Díaz following the addition of new complainants, including the Pujol family. The complaint was filed under crimes of coercion, threats, extortion, blackmail and false documents. 

The complaint alleges that the Spanish government participated in coercion by extorting money from BPA employees and threatening the closure of the bank if the sensitive material was not handed over. The complaint also states that Rajoy’s government sent false incriminating information about BPA to the US Office of Financial Crimes Enforcement (FinCEN), as well as intimidating the Andorran government during a visit in January 2015. 

This piece is adapted from an article originally published in El Pais on 13 June 2022