The European Parliament is inclined to withdraw the immunity of Puigdemont with the support of the PSOE and the rejection of Podemos

Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, on the run from Spanish justice since 2017 and elected MEP in 2019, faced the crucial vote on the withdrawal of his immunity in the plenary session of the European Parliament on Monday.

Although the result of the vote, carried out electronically and secretly, will not be made public until this Tuesday, the foreseeable thing is that the European Parliament decides to strip him and former councilors Antoni Comín and Clara Ponsatí of the protection they enjoy as members of the Eurocamara with a sufficient majority superior to 50%.

The parties that make up the Government in Spain will cast their divided votes: the PSOE has announced its vote in favor of removing immunity and Podemos, against.

If confirmed, it would put an end to another stage in the zigzagging judicial path of Catalan politicians: from now on, they will remain members of the European Parliament, but the Belgian courts (in the case of Puigdemont and Comín) and the British (in the case of Puigdemont and Comín) the case of Ponsatí, who settled in Scotland, although in recent times he resides in Belgium) will be able to resume the proceedings on his extradition to Spain.

These were suspended since they took the minutes as MEPs at the beginning of 2020, so the investigating judge in the case of the

process

in the Supreme Court, Pablo Llarena, was forced to claim through a request to the European Parliament that his immunity be lifted.

Although every prediction is a Russian roulette, as it is a secret vote, according to different sources, it is expected that the lifting of immunity will receive the support en bloc of the groups of the popular and the European conservatives, and a presumably majority support of the families of socialists and liberals.

The Greens and the left (whose MEPs include the European candidacy of Podemos) have announced their vote against.

One of the few MEPs consulted who is willing to venture a figure estimates that immunity will be lifted with 400 votes in favor, 250 against and 50 abstentions.

Technically, what MEPs vote on are the reports on the requests of Puigdemont, Comín and Ponsatí drawn up in the Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament, the body in charge of issuing a recommendation to the plenary on matters of immunities.

These reports propose to lift their protection arguing that the Spanish Supreme Court claims them for "facts and processes prior to acquiring the status and, therefore, immunity as a member of the European Parliament."

Two weeks ago, the reports came forward in the Commission with 15 votes in favor, 8 against and two abstentions, 60% of the votes, perhaps the most reliable forecast of what the 705 MEPs may have decided this Monday.

Catalan politicians have long admitted that it would be a "miracle" if their immunity was not withdrawn.

"We know how to add and subtract," acknowledged Puigdemont after the result of the vote on his file in the Commission.

Although he promised that he would fight until the last minute: "We have never given any battle for loss."

In recent days, the former president has given 18 interviews to the media in 20 countries.

But in them he assumes defeat, given the position that the large groups publicly defend.

Debate among the socialists

"The official position is to vote in favor [of lifting the immunity]," says Socialist MEP Ibán García del Blanco about his European family, although he acknowledges that, given the heterogeneity of the second group in the European Parliament (with 147 seats), he does not expect a "stony solidity" in the vote, but a "majority position".

He explains that there has been "debate" among European socialists.

The MEP and former Prime Minister of Malta, Alfred Sant, for example, on Friday called the withdrawal of immunity from the Catalans a "scandal" and announced his vote against.

Beyond the number of support that the pro-independence supporters end up collecting, "in practice what is going to happen is that immunity will be lifted and we will be in the next step: that these parliamentarians have the opportunity to go and defend themselves in court," says García del Blanco.

What is "abnormal", he concludes, would be to prevent the functioning of justice in a democracy "based on the separation of powers."

From the ranks of United We Can, on the other hand, they consider that voting against would be a step forward to avoid the prosecution of the

procés

: "We have always defended that the political conflict in Catalonia must be resolved through political means and through dialogue," they state in a release.

They also consider that the loss of immunity would not do much either: in a recent ruling, the Belgian courts rejected the extradition to Spain of former councilor Lluís Puig, also fled to Brussels, but without parliamentary immunity.

His case marks a clear precedent for what could happen to the rest of those claimed by the Supreme Court.

The defense of Catalan politicians also believes that if the case returns to the Belgian courts, the result will be identical to that of Puig: non-extradition after months or even years of proceedings in various judicial instances.

The fugitives have also announced a new maneuver: they will appeal the petition to the Court of Justice of the European Union for alleged "irregularities" in their development.

Dolors Montserrat MEP says that popular Spaniards have explained "one by one" to their European colleagues their vision on the matter.

"The European Parliament is not judging or condemning anyone," he says.

“Nothing in the fund is discussed.

It is a purely legal question ”.

The members of the main group of the European Parliament (187 seats), he adds, are "very clear" that "immunity does not serve to protect prior events" and that "Spain is a state of law and a full democracy."

He augurs an almost monolithic vote from his group.

Among the Liberals of Renew, the third group (98 seats) and in which is Ciudadanos, some dissent was expected, but the official position is in favor of lifting the immunity.

"I understand the Spanish sensibility, but for me it is a case like any other", says the Czech liberal MEP and vice president of the European Parliament Dita Charanzová, a member of the liberal family.

“The European Parliament is not a court.

That is not our role.

We must give way to a judicial process ”.