The nine men arrested in connection with suspected corruption in urban planning affairs in Santa Coloma de Gramenet will be moved to Madrid today to appear before the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón (article in Catalan, Avui). Two of the accused, former high-ranking officials in the CiU party when Jordi Pujol was President of Catalunya, were questioned for five hours yesterday in a police station in Sant Andreu de la Barca. An additional man was arrested yesterday, following the eight original arrests made on Tuesday—the latest detainee is businessman Manuel Carrillo Duro, who owns a company specialised in services for public administrations, which has worked for Barcelona and Santa Coloma, as well as the Generalitat and various towns in Catalunya, Andalucia and Madrid (article in Castilian, La Vanguardia).

The president of the Generalitat, José Montilla, yesterday made a call for the public to have confidence in politicians despite the negative image portrayed by this week's corruption case in Santa Coloma de Gramenet (article in Castilian, El Periodico). Speaking to press at the Catalan Parliament, Montilla said he understood the irritation and alarm that this case has caused amongst voters, but, he said, “we’re not all the same.” He called on the political parties to take the initiative in showing to the public that this is the case, and said that they had to make sure they always live up to the demands of the public role they are in and avoid creating a distance between themselves and citizens. In the light of the other recent corruption case at the Palau de la Música Catalana, Montilla said that politicians had to reflect on how to improve the ethical behaviour of Catalan institutions.

Also in the news: Spanair to offer direct flights from Barcelona to New York and Singapore (Avui); Another bus strike hits Barcelona today and tomorrow (La Vanguardia); Twenty-one arrested in police crack-down on Chinese prostitution rings (El Periodico)