MEP Luis Alvise Pérez Defends Himself Against Charges of Forgery and Defamation
Luis Alvise Pérez, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and leader of the Se Acabó La Fiesta (SALF) party, distanced himself this Friday from allegations concerning a fake PCR document he circulated in 2021, accusing former Health Minister and current president of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, of lying. Speaking outside the Supreme Court after appearing before Judge Javier Hernández, Pérez claimed the document was already widespread on social media by the time he posted it.
"I communicated to the judge that it was a document that had been massively shared across social media. There was no intention of bad faith or defamation against Mr. Illa," he stated in comments to media.
Pérez expressed surprise that the Prosecutor's Office filed a complaint and that the Socialist Party (PSOE) is pursuing a private prosecution against him for this matter. He noted, "It’s quite striking that the PSOE is presenting itself as a prosecution in all cases related to me, even spending as much as 15,000 euros in some instances."
This marks Pérez’s first visit to the high court since he skipped an inquiry at the National Court last November involving alleged illegal financing. There are currently three ongoing proceedings against him in the Supreme Court, including the Illa case, a separate one concerning alleged harassment of a prosecutor in Valencia, and the case of the false PCR.
The MEP arrived at the Supreme Court at 9:17 AM for his testimony after the court initiated an investigation into accusations of forgery of a private document and defamation surrounding the dissemination of the false PCR test for Salvador Illa on April 11. The origins of the case can be traced back to February 11, 2021, when Pérez tweeted during the electoral campaign for the Catalan elections, amidst a televised debate with Illa and other candidates. He included a photo of a document purporting to be a clinical report, falsely stating a positive PCR result attributed to Illa.
Following the formal complaint, the Prosecutor's Office asserted that the document was entirely fabricated and that Pérez created it with malicious intent to harm Illa and the PSC.
Although investigations are still pending to verify details, the Public Ministry indicated that Pérez could be investigated for the crimes of using a false document and defamation, given that he retweeted a message featuring the document despite not being the original creator.
As the case develops, it raises questions about the implications of the digital dissemination of potentially harmful information, the intersection of politics and social media, and the legal ramifications for public figures in their communications.
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