We are the same partners, in the same office, with the same secretary, and there is nothing to hide
Main defendant faces 29-year prison sentence and denies money laundering charges by attributing Andorra wealth to inherited legacy and investment returns rather than corporate transfers. Prosecution presented eight-hour interrogation detailing suspicious operations; defense argues grandfather's 1992 inheritance and financial securities generated legitimate growth over decades.
- Jordi Pujol Ferrusola faces 29-year prison sentence for money laundering and tax evasion
- Grandfather's alleged inheritance: 110 million pesetas in cash plus 390 million in securities
- Eight-hour prosecution interrogation focused on suspicious account transfers and coded letters
- Trial involves 17 accused including seven Pujol children and nine business associates
Jordi Pujol Ferrusola testified he never received money from his companies or construction firms in Andorra accounts, claiming all funds derived from his grandfather's inheritance and financial investments rather than alleged public works commissions.
Jordi Pujol Ferrusola sat in the National Court for nearly eight hours across two days, answering questions about millions of euros that moved through Andorra accounts bearing his name. The eldest son of former Catalan president Jordi Pujol faced the most serious charges of anyone in the dock—29 years in prison if convicted—and his testimony on this Tuesday was meant to explain where the money came from and where it went.
He denied it all came from his companies. Imisa, Ibadesa, Project Marketing, and the construction firms Isolux Corsán and Copisa—none of them, he insisted, had sent him money to Andorra. "Never have I received anything from them, and nothing has been sent from Andorra," he told the court. "There has never been a transfer from Spain to Andorra or from Andorra to Spain." The prosecution's theory was that these companies had paid him commissions for steering public works contracts their way, and that he had laundered those bribes through the Andorran financial system. If he could convince the court the money came from somewhere else, that charge might collapse.
His explanation was inheritance. His grandfather, Florenci Pujol, had left him and his siblings a legacy—110 million pesetas in cash, roughly 601,000 euros, plus another 390 million pesetas in financial securities worth about 2.3 million euros. Starting in 1992, those securities had generated returns. Stocks and bonds had appreciated. The money in Andorra, he said, was simply the product of those investments compounding over time, with the final distribution to his siblings occurring in 2004 when he sent them 60,000 euros. "It is all money from the sale of securities and from keeping money in the account to look for another investment opportunity," he said. His father, the former president, had wanted nothing to do with any of it. "My father never wanted to know anything about the Andorra money, and he never had an account," Pujol Ferrusola testified, echoing what his father had always claimed.
The prosecutor, Fernando Bermejo, had spent those eight hours walking through the accounts transaction by transaction, following his written accusation point by point. He asked about coded letters his mother, Marta Ferrusola, had sent to the bank. In one, she referred to transferring "two missals from my library to the chaplain's library," using the word "missal" as apparent code for money. She had addressed the account manager, José María Pallerola, as "mossèn"—Catalan for priest. Pujol Ferrusola explained that his mother had called Pallerola by that nickname because he resembled a priest she knew. He had acted as a courier, delivering several such letters himself.
When the subject turned to his own tax filings, Pujol Ferrusola argued he had paid more than his share. Between 2004 and 2012, he had reported 24 million euros in income and paid 6.6 million euros to the tax authority—more, he said, than he actually owed. He moved money between his companies, made loans, took distributions, all within what he described as a single integrated operation. "We are the same partners, in the same office, with the same secretary, and there is nothing to hide, there is no strange movement," he said. His defense attorney, Cristóbal Martell, had him elaborate on his grandfather's history—Florenci Pujol had been the first person convicted of currency smuggling under Franco, a trade that had made him wealthy, and he had founded Banca Catalana. The implication was clear: the family had a history of accumulating money through legitimate, if sometimes legally questionable, means.
On the question of the bank itself, Pujol Ferrusola expressed frustration. The accounts had been held at Banca Reig, which later became Andbank. When new regulations required the bank to identify politically exposed persons, the bank had forced the Pujol family out. "They took advantage of a legislative change to get rid of a dead weight, and we are eight dead weights," he said bitterly. The family had moved to Banca Privada d'Andorra, partly because his brother Josep already had an account there and was friendly with the owners, the Cierco family. Pujol Ferrusola had even filed a complaint against Andbank for destroying records of the account movements, he noted.
After Pujol Ferrusola finished, his brother Josep took the stand but agreed only to answer questions from his own defense. Then came Mercè Gironès, Jordi's ex-wife, who faced a 17-year sentence. She had testified that she managed the companies only because her husband or the office secretary told her what to do. Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, when asked about her role, declined to discuss it, saying only that she was the mother of his children. The trial continues with more defendants still to testify, and the court will eventually decide whether the Andorran accounts represent a family inheritance carefully managed across decades, or a sophisticated money-laundering operation designed to hide the proceeds of corruption.
Citas Notables
Never have I received anything from them, and nothing has been sent from Andorra. There has never been a transfer from Spain to Andorra or from Andorra to Spain.— Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, denying corporate payments to his Andorran accounts
My father never wanted to know anything about the Andorra money, and he never had an account.— Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, regarding his father's involvement
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does the grandfather's history matter so much to the defense?
Because it establishes that the family knew how to make and keep money through their own means. Florenci Pujol was a currency smuggler—illegal, yes, but it shows he accumulated real wealth. If the jury believes the grandfather left a substantial inheritance, the rest of the story becomes plausible.
But the coded letters about missals—doesn't that suggest they were hiding something?
It does look suspicious on its face. But Pujol Ferrusola's explanation is that his mother was simply being playful, using a nickname for the banker. Whether a court believes that depends on whether they think a wealthy family would really need to encode routine financial instructions, or whether they'd do it out of habit and caution.
He says he paid more tax than he owed. How does that help him?
It undermines the tax evasion charge, at least on its surface. If the prosecution can't prove he deliberately hid income, they're left arguing about how the money was classified—corporate versus personal income. That's a weaker case than proving he laundered bribes.
What about the companies that allegedly paid him commissions?
That's the heart of it. If the prosecution can show money flowing from those construction firms to Andorra, the inheritance story collapses. But Pujol Ferrusola flatly denies any such transfers ever happened. Without bank records proving otherwise, it becomes his word against the circumstantial evidence.
Why did his ex-wife refuse to take responsibility?
She was trying to minimize her role, claiming she just followed orders. But Pujol Ferrusola had already testified that they managed the companies together, fifty-fifty. That contradiction is exactly what the prosecution will use against both of them.