The Provincial Court of Barcelona asks judge Joaquín Aguirre to justify the investigation of Josep Lluís Alay’s assets

The Public Prosecutor had appealed the decision of Joaquín Aguirre, the judge of the First Examining Magistrate’s Court of Barcelona investigating the Volhov Operation, considering it to be prospective, and also asked for the investigation to be closed. Aguirre argued that Alay was the Provincial Council of Barcelona’s successor to the head of the Development Cooperation Office, who has been accused of criminal activity, and that some of the files that are being investigated were only completed during Alay’s mandate. The Provincial Court of Barcelona does not consider the investigation to be prospective and does not close it, but annuls Aguirre’s resolution and considers that it requires greater motivation in order to guarantee the accused’s right of defence.