Spain’s Supreme Court has determined that Carles Puigdemont, the former president of Catalonia, may return to Spain without risk of arrest, concluding a protracted legal dispute that has spanned nearly a decade. The ruling upholds the lifting of an arrest warrant connected to a regional referendum organized by his government in 2017, which was held against the wishes of Madrid authorities. Following the vote, direct rule was imposed on Catalonia and Puigdemont fled to Belgium, where he established his base of operations.
The Spanish government introduced a controversial amnesty in 2024 for numerous Catalan politicians and activists involved in the independence movement, but the Supreme Court initially excluded Puigdemont and several colleagues on grounds related to alleged financial crimes surrounding the referendum’s organization. The Constitutional Court reversed this interpretation earlier this month, and the Supreme Court subsequently rejected an appeal by the far-right Vox party against lifting national arrest warrants for Puigdemont and former ministers Lluís Puig and Toni Comín.
Puigdemont has maintained an active political presence throughout his exile, serving as a member of the European Parliament since 2019 and leading the centre-right Together for Catalonia party, to which he was elected in the Catalan parliament in 2024. He conducted a surprise visit to Barcelona in 2024 that prompted a police manhunt before he escaped back across the border. One of his former colleagues, Toni Comín, plans to travel to Madrid this week for administrative procedures related to his MEP status.
The 2017 referendum triggered Spain’s most significant political crisis since the restoration of democracy, resulting in a heavy police response and a subsequent declaration of independence by the region’s separatist majority. However, the political landscape has shifted considerably, with Catalan independence now occupying a marginal position in Spanish politics relative to issues such as housing and immigration. Puigdemont’s party has provided parliamentary support crucial to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government formation following the 2023 election, though JxCat has faced electoral challenges within Catalonia.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI