Carles Puigdemont: Spain versus Catalonia - Justice must revoke arrest warrant against separatist leader

At that time, the politician was unable to break the financially strong region of Catalonia in the northeast of the country out of Spain. He had to go into hiding and was smuggled to Belgium by supporters in a night-and-dagger operation. The Spanish justice system issued a national and later a European arrest warrant and tried for years to arrest Puigdemont.

He was initially accused of rebellion and sedition, which could be punished with long prison sentences. The charge of rebellion was later dropped and the offense of rioting was abolished. What remained was the long-standing accusation that he had embezzled public funds for the referendum and thus personally enriched himself. This was not covered by an amnesty law that the Spanish Parliament passed in 2024.

However, the Constitutional Court has now decided that the embezzlement does not constitute personal enrichment. This means there is no longer any reason for bans from holding offices or arrest warrants. Formally, the proceedings were not about Puigdemont at all: the separatist politician Dolors Bassa had sued. It is still unclear when exactly the judiciary will lift the arrest warrant against Puigdemont.

Chaos broke out in Catalonia after the referendum. The conservative central government at the time placed the region under compulsory administration, and Puigdemont's comrades-in-arms who remained in the country were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison. The government of left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later pardoned her in order to defuse the Catalonia conflict. However, this was not possible with Puigdemont: only those who have been convicted can be pardoned.