Spain grants partial pardon to former Catalan leader Laura Borràs

The Spanish government has approved a partial pardon for Laura Borràs, the former president of the Catalan Parliament, commuting her prison sentence for charges of prevarication and document falsification. Borràs was initially sentenced to 4 years, 6 months, and 1 day in prison.

The pardon reduces her prison term to two years. The Ministry of Justice stated that the pardon was granted following recommendations from the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia, which had previously deemed the prison sentence "disproportionate and excessive." However, the pardon does not affect the other penalties imposed: a fine and a 13-year political disqualification.

Borràs's conviction stemmed from her time leading the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes, where she was found to have irregularly awarded 18 minor contracts totaling 335,700 euros to an associate. The court found she used contract splitting and falsified documents to create the appearance of a competitive bidding process.

Borràs, a prominent figure in the Catalan independence movement and the Junts party, had argued that she faced political persecution due to her pro-independence stance. Despite her claims, the Supreme Court upheld her conviction, ruling that it was not directly related to the political movement. Borràs herself acknowledged on social media that while she will avoid prison, the disqualification from holding elected office remains.

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The Spanish government has decided today that I will not go to jail but, also, that it maintains the disqualification of 13 years for any elected office.