- For months now, the prosecutor’s office, the defense and the private prosecution – Palacio de Arozteguia SM – have been negotiating not to proceed with the trial. There was a basic agreement, but the Carpinteria Solidarity Committee has announced in a press release that it has been suspended.
In the absence of an agreement, on Monday 19, the trial begins in Pamplona and lasts until 23. According to the solidarity committee, last November there was a negotiation session proposed by the prosecutor’s office, but it was suspended because the Palacio de Arozteguia SM wanted to maintain the accusation of the designation of the criminal group.
Last week the possibility of the agreement was reopened by the prosecutor’s office and it seemed that this time it would be achieved, but for now it has not been possible: “In these negotiations to reach an agreement,” say those of the solidarity committee, “both the prosecutor’s office and the Palacio de Arozteguia S.Mk have expressed their willingness to cancel the criminal group’s request,” but they are not willing to withdraw the civil responsibility demanded of the defendants.
According to this, Palacio de Aroztegua demands that the defendants accept civil liability – therefore, accept a large number of violent actions that they have not committed – and guarantees in return that it will never ask them to pay this civil response.
The defendants have not accepted this agreement because, according to them, Palacio de Arozteguia SM uses their lives “to obtain compensation of 43 million euros from the governments of Navarre and Spain. We are not willing to accept the risk of economic sanctions for life, much less for something we have not done.”
The penalty to get 43 million
During the trial, the accused are charged with two crimes, both by the prosecution and by the private prosecution: one is the formation of a criminal group; two is the commission of seven consecutive violent crimes. But apart from this trial, the Carpinteria Palace has another open procedure against the governments of Navarre and Spain. He argues that the defendants not only suspended the works but also halted the entire project that April 2021, which has resulted in damages of 46 million euros to those who carry out the Carpinteria project.
According to Palacio de Aroztegua, the two governments did not take sufficient security measures to protect the commencement of the works, which has resulted in damages of millions, and both governments want to pay 43 million euros in compensation. For this, it is very important for them to have a verdict in which it will be said that the Carpentry project was stopped by a criminal group, or by a specific group of Sicilian people.
The Carpinteria Solidarity Committee has organized numerous events to show solidarity and support to the defendants. The following poster shows the day-to-day events.
