Rafael Catalá Polo (born 21 June 1961) is a Spanish politician and member of the
People's Party. He has been
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
and
First Notary of the Kingdom since September 2014, and was additionally interim
Minister of Public Works
This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure.
See also
* Public works
* Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...
between 19 July 2016 and 4 November 2016. Before this, he served as the 4th
Secretary of State for Justice
The secretary of state for justice, also referred to as the justice secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the Un ...
between 2002 and 2004 and as the 8th
Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing
The Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing (SEITV) is a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Development (Spain), Ministry of Development of the Government of Spain. The SEITV is appointed by the King of Spain at the pro ...
from 2011 to 2014.
On 16 May 2017, the Congress of Deputies passed a motion of
censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spir ...
against Catalá as minister of justice. This was as a result of the maneuvers that have taken place within the fiscal ministry aimed at obstructing certain judicial cases against corruption and of the minister's own actions relating to these cases. He is the first minister of democracy rejected by the full Congress.
Together with the Minister,
José Manuel Maza, the
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
and
Manuel Moix
Manuel Moix is a Spanish lawyer. After serving as a public prosecutor in the Community of Madrid, he was appointed Spain's "top anti-corruption prosecutor" from February 2017.
He resigned on 1 June 2017, after admitting he owned 25% of a Panaman ...
, the Anti-corruption Prosecutor, were rejected.
Biography
Graduated in Law from the
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loca ...
, in 1985 he entered the Higher Body of Civil State Administrators by competitive examination.
During his administrative career, he held the post of Deputy Director General of Organisation and Human Resources Policy in the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs (1988-1992). In 1992, he joined
AENA
ENAIRE is the air navigation manager in Spain, certified for the provision of en route, approach and aerodrome control services. As a public corporate entity attached to the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, it is responsible for air traffic co ...
, where he was Director of Human Resources Planning and Development, Director of Labour Relations and Director of Administration and Air Navigation Services. He also served until 2011 as general secretary of Codere, a company in the gaming sector.
Political career
After the People's Party's electoral victory in 1996, the Council of Ministers appointed him Director General of the Civil Service in the Ministry of Public Administration, then headed by Mariano Rajoy.
Catalá in October 2001
In January 1999, he was appointed Director General of Personnel and Services at the Ministry of Education and Culture, and between May 2000 and July 2002 he was Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. Between 2002 and 2004 he was Secretary of State for Justice in the Department headed by José María Michavila.
After the 2004 general elections, he was in charge of the management of the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid. In addition, since 2005 he has been director of the master's degree in Public Administration at Esade and a member of the UNED Social Council.
On 23 December 2011 the Council of Ministers appointed him Secretary of State for Planning and Infrastructure of the Ministry of Public Works, at the proposal of its head, Ana Pastor Julián.
Following Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón's resignation, on 23 September 2014 he was appointed as successor to the Minister of Justice. His appointment was published on 29 September 2014, the day he took office.
On 19 July 2016, he took over the ordinary business of the Ministry of Public Works, whose incumbent until now,
Ana Pastor Julián
Ana María Pastor Julián (born 11 November 1957) is a Spanish doctor and politician for the People's Party who served as President of the Congress of Deputies from 19 July 2016 to 20 May 2019. Previously she was Minister of Health from 2002 t ...
, ceased to hold office after his election as president of the Congress of Deputies.
On 3 November 2016, his continuity as Minister of Justice was confirmed during the second government of
Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy Brey (; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party lead ...
, and he was renewed as Minister on 4 November 2016.
On 16 May 2017, he was rejected as Minister of Justice by the Congress of Deputies as a result of the manoeuvres that have taken place within the Public Prosecutor's Office aimed at obstructing certain judicial cases against corruption and the minister's own actions relating to these cases.
This makes him the first Minister of Democracy to be rejected by the full Congress. Along with the minister himself, the attorney general José Manuel Maza and the chief anti-corruption prosecutor Manuel Moix were also censured.
On 1 June 2018 he became acting Minister of Justice, pending the appointment of a new Minister, following the motion of censure passed the same day against Mariano Rajoy, with
Pedro Sánchez
Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has been Prime Minister of Spain since June 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since June 2017, having pr ...
as the new President of the Spanish Government.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catala, Rafael
1961 births
Living people
Members of the 11th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 12th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 13th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
People's Party (Spain) politicians
Politicians from Madrid
Justice ministers of Spain
Secretaries of State of Spain