The Spanish Supreme Court on Monday upheld arrest warrants for Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont and other Catalan separatists charged with embezzlement. This ruling counters a recent amnesty law, asserting that the law does not absolve their penal responsibility. The implicated politicians are currently living in exile, facing charges related to their roles in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which was previously declared unconstitutional by Spain’s constitutional court.
The Supreme Court highlighted that the amnesty law includes exceptions which apply to the accused. Specifically, the court noted that the conduct of the separatists falls under the “embezzlement for personal gain” exception in Art. 1 a) of the law. According to the court, the organization of the referendum was a personal cause funded with public money, lacking a connection to public interest.
Additionally, the court pointed out the actions of the separatists touch upon the exception under Art. 2 e), which includes conduct affecting the financial interests of the European Union. Despite whether the funds used were from the EU or not, the risk posed by secession to Spain’s tax collection and gross national income was deemed sufficient to nullify the amnesty.
Puigdemont, currently exiled in France, criticized the tribunal via a post on X, calling it “la toga nostra,” implying corruption and bias within the institution. His response hints at an intent to appeal the decision, although their previous assurances of returning to Spain seem unlikely in light of the maintained arrest warrants.
This ruling complicates matters for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose Socialist Party (PSOE) had agreed to drop all charges against Catalan separatists in exchange for votes from the Catalan Independence Party following the stalemated 2023 elections. This agreement had triggered mass protests in Madrid in November 2023.
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