Puchol Family Court Case: Father's Letter Reveals Dispute Over Estate. A letter from Florenci Puchol, expressing distrust of his son's financial decisions, was presented in the court case involving the Puchol family. The document became a key element for the defense, though the prosecution questions its significance.
A high-profile trial continues in Barcelona involving the family of former Catalonia president Jordi Pujol. A key episode was the discovery of a letter from Florenci Pujol, the politician's father, in which he expressed concern about the management of the family's money. This document was found by police at the home of Jordi Pujol and Marta Ferrusola in 2017 and has now become one of the main arguments for the defense.
Family conflict and concerns
The letter, written in difficult-to-read handwriting, reflects Florenci Pujol's deep mistrust of his son's financial decisions. He warned Jordi about the risks linked to investments in cultural projects through Banca Catalana and feared that political ambitions would lead to the loss of their fortune. In the letter, the father emphasized that he did not want to risk the accumulated capital for political purposes, and asked not to allow debts.
According to the family, Florenci Pujol deliberately excluded his son from the inheritance, leaving foreign assets to Jordi’s wife and grandchildren. However, as a source notes, the family has no official documents confirming the existence of this inheritance, except for the letter itself.
Money in Andorra and the prosecutor’s position
The Pujol family claims that the funds hidden in Andorra for over 30 years originate from this very opaque inheritance. After the death of Florenci Pujol in 1980, the foreign accounts were initially managed by trusted associates, and later control passed to the eldest grandson, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola. According to the accused, by 1990 the accounts held around 500 million pesetas, which is equivalent to approximately 8 million euros at today's exchange rate. Over the following decade, the sum doubled, which the family attributes to successful investments.
The prosecution, however, does not accept this version. Anti-corruption authorities believe that the origin of the funds is linked to corruption and illegal payments from companies that received contracts from the Catalan government. In the view of the prosecution, the letter is insufficient to prove the legal origin of the money, and it will be up to the prosecution to prove their position in court.
The family's role and details of the case
During the hearings, Jordi Pujol Ferrusola, the eldest son, spoke about his close relationship with his grandfather and his influence on shaping the family's financial strategy. He noted that Florenci Pujol was cautious and did not trust his son's political projects. Other family members also confirmed that the father feared a repeat of political upheavals that could lead to the loss of the family's fortune.
Florenci Puchol's letter has become a rare piece of material evidence in a case where most arguments rely on oral testimony and circumstantial data. Despite the lack of direct proof of the inheritance's existence, the defense uses this document to explain the origin of the funds in Andorra.
