After the arrest warrant against Vice President Junqueras and 7 ministers of the dismissed Catalan government, the ax of Spanish justice also falls on Carles Puigdemont. The judges accepted the prosecutor's request, issuing a European arrest warrant against the former president of the Generalitat who has been in Belgium since Monday with four other ministers and, according to what he himself declared, has no intention of returning to Spain to be questioned.
"I have been informed by my client that the warrant has been issued against the president and four other ministers who are in Belgium," Paul Bekaert told Belgian TV VRT. "It means that the Spanish justice will now send an extradition request to the federal prosecutors in Brussels," he specified.
At that point it will be up to Belgium to carry out the arrest and decide whether to keep the defendants in prison until a court decides on their delivery to Spain.
Late yesterday afternoon, thousands of people took to the streets in Catalonia, responding to the call of independence activists, to protest against the arrest ordered today by Spanish judge Carmen Lamela of eight members of Carles Puigdemont's Govern. The judge ordered the eight ministers to be separated and detained in five different prisons. Vice-President Oriol Junqueras and Minister Joaquim Forn will be transferred to Estremera prison, Jordi Turull and Raul Romeva to Valdemoro, Josep Rull to Navalcarnero and Carlesd Mundò to Aranjuez. Dolors Bassa and Meritxell Borras will be held in the Alcalà women's prison.
“The legitimate government of Catalonia – he comments on Twitter Puigdemont, however, keeping a safe distance from Spain – he was imprisoned for his ideas and for having been faithful to the mandate approved by the Catalan parliament. The furious clan of 155 (the law that was applied by Madrid to dismiss the government, ed) wants prison. The serene clan of the Catalans, freedom”.
Com a president of the @govern legitim de #Catalonia, I demand the release of the councilors, councilors and vice president @junqueras pic.twitter.com/qVwiJ9wJ4H
— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) November 2, 2017
The accusations against the ministers and the former president himself are very heavy: rebellion, sedition and embezzlement. They risk up to 35 years in prison. According to Judge Lamela “the prisoners have hatched a perfectly organized secessionist strategy through documents distributed among the authorities of the government, parliament and pro-independence associations.
