Jordi Pujol Ferrusola Testifies: A Defense of His Father's Financial Integrity Amidst Legal Troubles

Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, the eldest son of former Catalan president Jordi Pujol, has firmly defended his father's financial conduct, stating that he never regularized opaque money nor held any foreign accounts. Speaking before the National Court on the trial concerning the hidden wealth of the Pujol family in Andorra, Ferrusola expressed that he had been under significant pressure to document that an 18 million euro account in Andorra belonged to him, specifically to assist in his divorce proceedings from Mercè Gironès. On the second consecutive day of his testimony, Ferrusola vehemently asserted that his father, aged 95 and recently exempted from the trial due to health issues, had no involvement in the financial dealings that prosecutors allege. "My father has never regularized any opaque money. My father has never had an account abroad," he stated emphatically, even as prosecutor Fernando Bermejo presented a handwritten document in which the former president appeared to acknowledge ownership of 307 million pesetas located in account 63810 at Andbank. Ferrusola maintained that this account, which was opened between 2000 and 2010, was entirely his, explaining that the documentation from his father was a strategic move to reassure his then-wife during their divorce process. He stated, "This account is mine. I opened it; it is not my father’s." The eldest son claimed to have pressured his father into writing a letter that would clarify the ownership of the funds in question, indicating at the heart of the matter was his personal divorce situation. Not only did Ferrusola cite pressure on his father for a handwritten confirmation, but he also revealed that the bank provided two letters, one on official letterhead, to support this claim. In a surprising twist, he stated that both letters would be destroyed when Gironès was informed, further emphasizing the idea that the account was uniquely his own. Interestingly, he argued that the payments he received from companies — which have come under legal scrutiny — were compensation for providing privileged information at specific, critical times. Ferrusola described his financial dealings, including deposits and withdrawals, as typical, maintaining that he managed the account like any other. This account was notably closed in 2010 after a change in Andorran regulations that heightened scrutiny over potential tax fraud. The court heard from Josep Pallerola, the family's banker in Andorra, who corroborated Ferrusola's assertions, stating that the funds indeed belonged to him and were placed in his father's name for the sake of Ferrusola’s divorce proceedings. Meanwhile, Spanish tax authorities evaluated the potential tax fraud connected to the accounts at approximately 885,651 euros, although the case was eventually deemed expired due to procedural issues. Adding further complexity to the legal landscape, the National Court's President José Ricardo de Prada ruled to exclude Jordi Pujol from the legal proceedings following a diagnosis of dementia, focusing the trial squarely on Ferrusola's claims and the implications regarding the family's substantial financial practices. As the trial progresses, the defense of familial honor and the entangled financial narratives of one of Catalonia’s most prominent political families remain under intense scrutiny, with Ferrusola’s testimony a critical focal point in understanding the depths of the Pujol family's dealings. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2