MADRID, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Liechtenstein has informed Spain about a suspected link between Catalonia's leader Artur Mas and the illegal business of Barcelona's prominent political family of ex-president Jordi Pujol, according to Spain's El Mundo newspaper.
In an article published Monday, the Spanish paper cited Liechtenstein's Financial Intelligence Unit as saying that the link could have been established between Artur Mas and the Brantridge Establishment company, founded by one of Jordi Pujol's sons.
Liechtenstein said it was studying archives and databases associated with the company, which was created in 2004 and shut earlier this year. But according to the report, no hard evidence had been found so far.
"Police in Liechtenstein are ready to cooperate with the Spanish authorities and present any information so that Spain could further its investigation," El Mundo cited the report as saying.
El Mundo estimated the fortune of the Pujol family to have exceeded 500 million euros over the past decade.
The report came out two days after the Catalan leader called for an independence referendum to secede from Spain. The government in Madrid on Monday voted to appeal this decision in the country's top court, saying it contradicted the Spanish constitution.
The Catalan parliament approved a law allowing a poll on independence a day after Scotland’s failed bid for independence on September 18.
Catalan separatists have been accusing the Spanish government of draining the region of tax revenues and constraining its linguistic and cultural autonomy. The government in Madrid claims Catalonia benefits from the union with Spain and enjoys a wide autonomy.
