> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Health Chiefs Acquitted in Police Vaccine Case - URL: https://barna.news/health-chiefs-acquitted-in-police/ - Published: 2026-10-05T20:35:30.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T20:35:30.000Z - Description: Former Catalan health ministers Alba Vergès and Josep Maria Argimon cleared of discrimination charges over unequal COVID vaccination rollout. - Author: Barna.News - Tags: crime ## Acquittal Over Pandemic Vaccination Policy The Barcelona High Court has acquitted former Catalan Health ministers Alba Vergès and Josep Maria Argimon, along with three other senior health officials, Marc Ramentol Sintas, Adrià Comella Carnicer and Francesc Xavier Rodríguez Guasch, in a case concerning the prioritisation of COVID-19 vaccines for regional police forces. The ruling, issued by the sixth chamber of the Barcelona Court on Monday 5 October 2026, dismissed charges of administrative prevarication and found no evidence of discriminatory intent in the decision to vaccinate Mossos d’Esquadra, Guàrdia Urbana and local police before members of the Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil stationed in Catalonia during March 2021. > The difference in vaccination rates was due to sanitary reasons, not arbitrary decisions. According to the 63-page judgment, the staggered rollout resulted from public health considerations following reports of rare side effects linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. The court stated that the health department's choice to proceed by age groups, rather than occupational categories, was “justified by sanitary reasons” and could not be deemed “arbitrary or unjust.” --- ## Prosecution Withdrawn, Unions Maintained Claim The public prosecutor had initially sought up to 12 years of disqualification for Vergès and Argimon but withdrew the accusation on the penultimate day of the oral hearing, requesting no penalty. However, the case continued at the insistence of JUCIL and JUPOL, the unions representing National Police and Guardia Civil officers. Despite their persistence, the tribunal ruled that there was insufficient proof of intentional discrimination. It specifically noted that the delay in vaccinating state security forces was partly due to their demand for a separate, ad hoc vaccination system, which created logistical challenges. Francesc Xavier Rodríguez Guasch, who was decorated by police forces for his role in managing the vaccination campaign, was ordered to have legal costs covered by the accusing unions. --- ## Leadership During Crisis Vindicated The verdict concludes a politically sensitive case rooted in tensions over health sovereignty during the pandemic. The accused held leadership roles in the Catalan Department of Health between 2020 and 2022, overseeing one of Europe’s most intense public health crises. Josep Maria Argimon, who served as Health Minister until October 2022 and now coordinates the Hub Alzheimer Barcelona initiative [under the Barcelona City Council](https://www.barcelona.cat/barcelonaciencia/en/actualidad/entrevistas-fondo/josep-maria-argimon-if-we-work-together-we-will-be-able-to-do-more-and-better-research-on-alzheimers-1633824?ref=barna.news), expressed no public comment following the ruling. The court’s decision marks a definitive legal resolution to claims that arose from operational decisions made under emergency conditions. --- *Primary sources:* [*barcelona.cat*](https://www.barcelona.cat/barcelonaciencia/en/actualidad/entrevistas-fondo/josep-maria-argimon-if-we-work-together-we-will-be-able-to-do-more-and-better-research-on-alzheimers-1633824?ref=barna.news)*,* [*bcnroc.ajuntament.barcelona.cat*](https://bcnroc.ajuntament.barcelona.cat/jspui/bitstream/11703/121641/3/0321%5FOposicions%20i%20Covid-19.pdf.txt?ref=barna.news)*. Reported by elmon.cat, elnacional.cat, EFE.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [Mossos Deploy to Block Siege of Layetana Police HQ](https://barna.news/mossos-deploy-to-block-siege-of/) - [Three Held Over Terrassa Shooting of Civil Guards](https://barna.news/three-held-over-terrassa-shooting-of/) - [Man arrested on Diagonal for carrying knife while drugged](https://barna.news/man-arrested-on-diagonal-for-carrying/) - [Updated: Man Stabbed in La Bordeta After Street Argument](https://barna.news/man-stabbed-in-la-bordeta-after-street/)