Justice suspends proceedings against Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, pending a European decision

Carles Puigdemont Not finished escaping from a
justice Spanish revenge. Madrid pursued him on charges of sedition and embezzlement for nearly four years and the aborted declaration of the independence of the republic
CataloniaOn Monday, the former mayor of Girona appeared before judges at the Sardinian Court of Appeal of Sassari who seized the European arrest warrant issued by Spain in preparation for his extradition.

He was arrested on September 23 on arrival at Alghero airport to participate in a Catalan cultural festival, and then released the next day, vowing to appear before Monday’s hearing. The three judges of the Sassari Court of Appeal have finally decided… not to decide on anything and to wait for the appeals formed by Carles Puigdemont’s defense to succeed before the European judicial system succeeds.

In exile for 4 years

European Parliament since 2019, Puigdemont has been demanding the restoration of his immunity as MEP to oppose extradition requestSpain. The European Parliament stripped him of his immunity on 9 March by a large majority vote, a measure confirmed by the General Court on 30 July.
European Union. But the European Parliament’s decision is under appeal and a final ruling on the merits has yet to be made.

“It has been four years since we arrived in exile” in Belgium, the Catalan leader recalls in the evening during a press conference in Alghero, the only Italian city with Catalan culture and language. “Since then, I had to face three different jurisdictions, in Belgium, Germany and Italy,” countries where he was arrested under the European arrest warrant issued by Madrid, and then released. “Spain has failed in its political goals,” he said each time.

The crime of sedition does not appear in the Italian penal code, which makes the procedure for a possible extradition very complicated. His arrest in Italy also caused an uproar in Spain, where the relationship between Madrid and Barcelona has cooled since amnesty was granted in June to the nine separatist leaders sentenced to prison for their role in the 2017 secession attempt. Stop. Let us find a political solution, not a judicial one, to this conflict,” concluded Puigdemont in Sardinia.