Fallen idols

In a case that looks like it could rival the Gürtel corruption scandal in scale and complexity, former Catalan president Jordi Pujol is set to stand trial.

Now 95 and in poor health, Pujol, his seven children and fifteen business people are suspected of illegally amassing a fortune during the 23 years he was premier of Catalonia (1980-2003).

Prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Pujol on charges of money laundering, tax offences, document forgery and illegal association.

In the trial that starts on Monday, which is expected to last well into 2026, they will portray him as Catalonia's version of Vito Corleone - although if the patriarch's found guilty, his ailing condition will probably excuse him from time behind bars.

Pujol's trajectory invites comparison with that of Spain's former king Juan Carlos. Both were key figures in the transition to democracy after Francisco Franco's death in November 1975.

Pujol is also revered in Catalonia for increasing the region's autonomy and championing its language and culture. Yet in old age, both men have been accused of abusing their power and status for personal gain (although the charges against Juan Carlos, now 87, were shelved in 2022).

2014 was a crucial year in the downfall of both men. In June, Juan Carlos abdicated, surrendering to a decline in popularity triggered by a hunting trip to Botswana in 2012. The following month, Pujol made the shock announcement that his family held an undeclared fortune in Andorra - although he claimed it was an inheritance from his banker father Florenci (the hours leading up to this revelation are the focus of a recently-released film called Parenostre).

That year was also eventful for Pujol's secessionist heirs. In November, Catalan president Artur Mas held an independence referendum, modelled on that which had taken place in Scotland two months earlier (whereas 80% of Catalans opted to divorce Madrid, 55% of Scots voted to remain part of the UK).

Mas was fined 36,500 euros and banned from public office for two years for holding the vote, which had been declared illegal in advance by Spain's constitutional court.

Juan Carlos's downfall was relatively fast, but Pujol's has been a protracted affair. He wasn't indicted by Spain's National Court until 2021, when the investigating judge said that there was no evidence to prove that the family fortune came from Pujol's wealthy father.

The verdict of the upcoming trial is not expected to be made public until 2027. Many of Pujol's supporters will no doubt be hoping that he won't be around to witness the fallout from a guilty verdict. But like Juan Carlos, the former champion of Catalan identity has long been a fallen idol.