Despite the law passed by the Sánchez government last May, the Spanish Supreme Court denied amnesty to the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, one of the main promoters of Catalonia's independence referendum, who has lived in exile in Belgium since 2017 to avoid arrest. This is a very hard blow for the Catalan independence parties, who have always seen Puigdemont as a point of reference. The former Catalan president is also the leader of the Junts party, which is part of the coalition that keeps the current government in place. And there are many who think that the Supreme Court's decision could have repercussions also on the stability of the fragile Spanish executive.
The Spanish Supreme Court denies amnesty to Puigdemont
“The Supreme Court judge today issued an order stating amnesty not applicable to the crime of embezzlement in the case against the former President of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont,” the court said in a statement, specifying that the arrest warrant against him remains in force. For the highest Iberian judges, the arrest warrants issued against two close collaborators of the former president of Catalonia, Toni Comín and Lluís Puig, who like him fled abroad after the referendum, also remain valid.
The decision of the High Court judges comes less than two months after the Sanchez Government gave the definitive green light to the law granting amnesty to Catalan leaders indicted or under judicial proceedings for their involvement in the Catalan independence process, which later failed.
The Supreme Court says No to amnesty for Puigdemont
According to the Supreme Court, the amnesty applies to the crime of disobedience, but not to that of "malversacion", i.e. embezzlement because by committing the latter the defendants obtained a personal financial benefit. A thesis that has created quite a bit of controversy in Spain in recent weeks and which was rejected by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the State Attorney's Office.
The result, however, does not change: Puigdemont, who had been indicted for embezzlement, disobedience and terrorism, cannot enjoy amnesty and still remains wanted. If he returns to Spain he will face arrest. After hearing the news, the Catalan leader wrote on X: “La Toga Nostra”, a reference to the mafia organization Cosa Nostra.
The possible consequences for the Spanish Government
And many are wondering what they will be now the consequences of the decision for the Sánchez Government, born following the amnesty agreement between Catalan socialists and independentists. The agreement arrived last November, while the amnesty law was definitively approved in May guaranteeing the cancellation of "criminal, administrative and accounting responsibility" for more than 300 independence leaders and activists indicted for various crimes.
A few days ago the first ruling arrived against Miquel Buch, a member of Junts per Catalunya, who had been sentenced to four and a half years in prison and 20 years of disqualification from holding public office for having improperly used public funds and for having committed acts contrary to one's official duty.
