Does Catalan independence MEP Carles Puigdemont risk prison?
Arrested in Sardinia Thursday evening, the ex-president of Catalonia spent the night behind bars and must go to Italian justice, according to his lawyer Gonzalo Boye.
The court must determine Friday or Saturday whether or not to extradite him to Spain.
Read alsoWhere is the crisis between Catalonia and Spain?
In his country, Carles Puigdemont is being prosecuted for “attempted secession” in 2017 and for “embezzlement of public funds”.
"The arrest of Mr. Puigdemont corresponds to an ongoing legal procedure which applies to any EU citizen who must answer for his acts in front of the courts"
, affirmed in a statement the Spanish left government of Pedro Sanchez, adding that Carles Puigdemont should "
submit to the action of justice like any other citizen".
Parliamentary immunity lifted
MEP since 2019, the independentist benefited for a time from parliamentary immunity, lifted on March 9 by the European Parliament by a large majority. Measure which was confirmed on July 30 by the Court of Justice of the European Union. But the decision of the European Parliament was the subject of an appeal whose final judgment on the merits by the European Union justice must be pronounced
"at a later date".
Carles Puigdemont's lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, considers that Parliament's decision is "suspended" and that his client must still benefit from his immunity.
In March 2018, Carles Puigdemont was arrested for the first time at the request of Spain, in Germany this time.
But he was released a few days later after the German justice abandoned the charge of "rebellion" which then weighed against him in Spain and has since been reclassified as "sedition".
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