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ARCHIVED - Former Catalan president arrested in Sardinia
The separatist leader faces charges of sedition and misuse of public funds following an illegal independence referendum in Catalunya
The former president of the regional government of Catalunya, Carles Puigdemont, was arrested in Sardinia by Italian authorities on Thursday September 23 following an arrest warrant authorised by the Supreme Court. The European warrant has been reactivated at least three times and Puigdemont will appear before the Sassari Court of Appeal on Friday to determine whether he will be released or extradited to Spain.
The regional president went into self-imposed exile in Brussels after he and his parliamentary supporters were ousted following a brazen declaration of Catalan independence back in October 2017. The Spanish government quickly intervened, and within 45 minutes of Catalunya announcing its independence from Spain, Puigdemont’s government was dissolved and the leader was facing charges of sedition, rebellion and embezzlement of public funds.
Puigdemont’s lawyer, Gonzaol Boye, intends to argue in court that the warrant had previously been suspended, thus rendering his arrest illegal. However, Spain’s Secretary of State has released a statement insisting that the former president must answer for his actions just like “any citizen in the European Union” and that the Spanish Government will respect the decision of the Italian court.
This is Puigdemont’s second arrest since he fled Spain following the failed unilateral declaration of independence (DUI) on October 27, 2017. The first occurred in Germany in March 2018 when he was travelling by car back to his residence in Waterloo in Belgium after attending a conference in Helsinki. He was released after spending 12 days in Neumünster prison when German authorities failed to deport him to Spain.
Since the news of his latest arrest broke, separatist members of the Catalan independence movement have lit up social media condemning the “persecution and judicial repression” of their former leader. Political forces have also demanded that Spanish President Pedro Sánchez intercede on his behalf and demand his extradition to Spain.
Image: Archive
