A judge has agreed to cite as investigated the ‘former minister‘ of Health of the Generalitat Josep Maria Argimon for his role in the Decision to paralyze in 2021 the vaccination by the coronavirus to the agents of the Civil Guard and the National Police in Catalonia, when he was Secretary of Public Health. In a ruling, to which Efe has had access, the head of the trial court number 17 of Barcelona has also decided to cite the then accused general secretary from the Department of Health, Marc Ramentolgiven the indications that he also participated in the decision that delayed the vaccination process for the agents of both bodies in Catalonia.
According to the judge, from the proceedings carried out so far in this case, “indications emerge” that Argimon and Ramentol, for whose statements a date has not yet been set, “participated” in the decision to paralyze the vaccination process for agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard stationed in Catalonia and with ages between 18 and 60 years.
On the contrary, the judge has refused to call as a witness Alba Vergesthe ‘councillor’ for Health at the time and current vice-president of Parliament acting as president, concluding that her statement “is not necessary” since up to now “no one has attributed any participation to her in making the questioned decision.
The judge opened the investigation into the delay in the vaccination of the agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard in Catalonia as a result of a complaint for the crimes of prevarication and against the right of workers filed by the Union of the National Police CorpsPolice Justice (JUPOL) and by the Association of the Civil Guard, civil justice (JUCILE). In their complaint, JUCIL and JUPOL maintained that the Generalitat delayed the vaccination of Civil Guard and National Police agents in Catalonia until the TSJC gave the Generalitat an ultimatum in April 2021. Specifically, the TSJC ordered the 27 April 2021 to the Generalitat that “without any excuse” guarantee “immediately and without delay” the vaccination of the agents, so that in 10 days it would reach the same proportion as in the Mossos d’Esquadra, as it finally ended up happening, when appreciating an “appearance of discrimination”. For the TSJC, the data provided by the Generalitat was “eloquent”, which detailed that on April 22, 80.3% of the Mossos troops were vaccinated in Catalonia, 79.1% of the Barcelona Urban Guard and 71.2% of the local police, compared to 9.9% of the National Police and 6.3% of the Civil Guard.
The Generalitat complied with the order of the TSJC and on May 8, 2021 it had already vaccinated more than 3,700 agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard in Catalonia, equating their situation to that of the Mossos d’Esquadra. There are no known data on whether the delay in vaccination had specific health consequences among those affected, something on which the investigation will have to focus.
Vergés, aside
He Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) rejected in March 2022 to investigate Vergés for the delay in vaccinating the agents, not appreciating any “action or omission” that could be directly attributed to him in this case, although he ordered the ordinary courts to identify those responsible, which led to the Barcelona court 17 opening this procedure. The Prosecutor’s Office had then shown itself in favor of the TSJC investigating Vergés and pointed out that criminal responsibilities could also arise against the former Secretary of Public Health and then Minister of Health Josep Maria Argimon.
In his brief, the judge also dared to call as witnesses the Government Delegate of the time, the superior police chiefs and the General Chief of the Civil Guard Zone, since they did not have “decision-making or executive power” to paralyze the vaccination. On the other hand, he does see the testimony of the lieutenant colonel of the Civil Guard as “useful and pertinent” responsible for vaccination in Catalonia and the coordinator of the process in the National Police, “because they will be able to provide information on how and through whom the communication to stop the vaccination of said group was received”, as well as the circumstances surrounding the decision and the “conduct” adopted by the regard.
Up to now, in this procedure, four Health officials of the time have already appeared as investigated: the Secretary of Public Health, Carmen Cabezasthe director of the Catalan Health Service, Adria Comellathe director of the CatSalut Organizations and Professionals Area, Sara Manjonand the director of Health Services, Francesc Xavier Rodriguez.
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In their statement as being investigated before the judge, on July 22, the former officials alleged that none of them had the power to decide which group or collective was vaccinated at any given time, since they only had executive, organizational, and logistical tasks.
Faced with this situation, the legal services of the Generalitat, like the defense of the four investigated, have asked the judge to file the case against them, considering that they did not “intentionally” delay the vaccination of the Civil Guard and the National Police in Catalonia and maintain that they were not They are the ones in charge of deciding to suspend the vaccination of officials in essential professions between the ages of 18 and 60. The judge has now asked the Prosecutor’s Office and the other parties to take a position on the request to close the case on these four high-ranking Health officials.