MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - Spain's anti-nationalist Union Progress and Democracy (UPyD) party has filed a complaint to the country's top court accusing Catalan president Artur Mas of embezzlement and money laundering, the Spanish EFE news agency reported Thursday.
The complaint was filed to the National Court following reports about a suspected link that Liechtenstein police allegedly found between Mas and the illegal business of Barcelona's prominent political family of Catalan former president Jordi Pujol.
In an article published two days after Mas' call for Catalan independence vote, El Mundo newspaper cited Liechtenstein's Financial Intelligence Unit as saying that the link could have been established between the current Catalan leader and the Brantridge Establishment company, founded by one of Pujol's sons in this Central European country.
On Monday, Spain's national government vowed to oppose Catalonia's independence referendum and filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court. Separatists vowed to push ahead with the vote, which is scheduled for November 9.
Catalans have been accusing the Spanish government of being a drain on the region's budget and constraining its linguistic and cultural autonomy. The government in Madrid claims Catalonia benefits from the union with Spain and enjoys a wide autonomy.
