Spanish government accused of interfering in judicial proceedings to discredit Catalonian politicians

‘The Spanish government has been accused of conducting a smear campaign against Catalonian politicians in a bid to discredit this week’s independence referendum after a judge ordered police to investigate a corruption case involving the Catalan President.
Spanish police searched the premises of companies connected to the council in the city of Girona, where Carles Puigdemont served as mayor between 2011 and 2016, a day before raids on Catalan government buildings saw 14 arrests in an operation targeting referendum operations.
A judge in Girona is investigating alleged kickbacks of €15 million from private water companies to city politicians, an arrangement believed to stem from the 1990s, long before Mr Puigdemont became mayor.
The probe was launched after a complaint by local councillors from the Left-wing pro-independence CUP party, who now complain about the suspicious timing of the raids.’
Read more: Spanish government accused of interfering in judicial proceedings to discredit Catalonian politicians