Spain's Court of Auditors fines Aliança Catalana for overspending in 2023 local elections
Spain's Tribunal de Cuentas proposes cutting 7,500 euros from Aliança Catalana's subsidy over a very serious spending breach in the 2023 local elections. Here are the figures.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spain's Tribunal de Cuentas (Court of Auditors) has found that Aliança Catalana exceeded the campaign spending limit in the 2023 local elections, an offence classified as very serious and punishable by a fine of between two and five times the excess. The body has proposed to the Ministry of the Interior reducing the party's subsidy by around 7,500 euros.
The first audit of **Aliança Catalana**'s election spending has ended in a fail. The Tribunal de Cuentas, chaired by **Enriqueta Chicano**, has concluded that the party committed a very serious offence by exceeding the spending limit allowed in the **2023** local elections, under article 17 of the law on the funding of political parties. That rule provides for a penalty of between two and five times the excess incurred.
## Undocumented donations and invoices
Alongside the overspending, the audit has uncovered other irregularities. The party received a donation of **500 euros** without the donor's ID number. It also recorded contributions totalling **3,024.85 euros** that did not meet the accreditation requirements demanded by law. And there is an expense of **1,070.14 euros** that has not been backed up by the corresponding invoice.
Then there is the mailing issue. The party declared **605.14 euros** for this item, but the Tribunal considers it does not meet the requirements to claim that subsidy, so it is counted as ordinary campaign spending.
## No bank account and everything in cash
The electoral law is clear on this point: article 124 of the **Loreg** (Spain's law on the organisation of general elections) requires a specific bank account to be peine for the elections. Aliança Catalana did not prove it had peine one. The result is that all the campaign's income and payments were made in cash, with amounts of **3,524.85 euros** and **3,270.63 euros** respectively, which breaks the law.
The Tribunal de Cuentas is now sending its proposal to the **Ministry of the Interior**: to reduce the party's election subsidy by around **7,500 euros**. The penalty is moderate, among other reasons because the party admitted the facts and because its campaign budget was small. With more money at stake, the margin for accounting error also grows.
The first audit of **Aliança Catalana**'s election spending has ended in a fail. The Tribunal de Cuentas, chaired by **Enriqueta Chicano**, has concluded that the party committed a very serious offence by exceeding the spending limit allowed in the **2023** local elections, under article 17 of the law on the funding of political parties. That rule provides for a penalty of between two and five times the excess incurred.
## Undocumented donations and invoices
Alongside the overspending, the audit has uncovered other irregularities. The party received a donation of **500 euros** without the donor's ID number. It also recorded contributions totalling **3,024.85 euros** that did not meet the accreditation requirements demanded by law. And there is an expense of **1,070.14 euros** that has not been backed up by the corresponding invoice.
Then there is the mailing issue. The party declared **605.14 euros** for this item, but the Tribunal considers it does not meet the requirements to claim that subsidy, so it is counted as ordinary campaign spending.
## No bank account and everything in cash
The electoral law is clear on this point: article 124 of the **Loreg** (Spain's law on the organisation of general elections) requires a specific bank account to be peine for the elections. Aliança Catalana did not prove it had peine one. The result is that all the campaign's income and payments were made in cash, with amounts of **3,524.85 euros** and **3,270.63 euros** respectively, which breaks the law.
The Tribunal de Cuentas is now sending its proposal to the **Ministry of the Interior**: to reduce the party's election subsidy by around **7,500 euros**. The penalty is moderate, among other reasons because the party admitted the facts and because its campaign budget was small. With more money at stake, the margin for accounting error also grows.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (7 replies).
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