Belgium examining arrest warrants for Spain’s Puigdemont, his deputies
Belgian authorities are studying arrest warrants issued by Spain for former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his cabinet ministers who fled to Brussels this past week after Spain launched an extraordinary crackdown to block the region's declaration of independence.
Belgium’s federal prosecutors said on Saturday that the warrants were being studied and city counterparts in Brussels had also been informed.
A statement about the warrants from Brussels prosecutor was expected by 2 pm (1300 GMT; 8 a.m. EDT).
The warrants were issued by a Spanish National Court judge on Friday, a day after Puigdemont and his deputies failed to appear in a hearing in the court to answer charges of rebellion and embezzlement.
Puigdemont, who has demanded special legal guarantees to return home, said Saturday that he will fully cooperate with the Belgian authorities.
His lawyer had said earlier that the separatist politician would not request asylum from Belgium but he would fight extradition, a process that legal experts estimate could take two months. That time would allow the separatist leader to influence fresh elections called by the Spanish government for Catalonia. Madrid had allowed Puigdemont to come and contest the December 21 election but insisted that his prosecution was different from the vote. Puigdemont now can even participate from far in the elections and many say he has a high chance of winning it.
Spain plunged into political crisis in Catalonia when Puigdemont and allies ignored Madrid’s warnings and went ahead with holding a controversial referendum on October 1. The vote, which saw a turnout lower than 50 percent, was enough for the separatists to finally declare independence from Spain on October 27. That prompted the central government to intervene and dismantle the regional institutions. The government will control Catalonia’s regional government until the new elections are held in the region.
Nine other members of Puigdemont’s cabinet attended the Thursday court session in Madrid. Eight of them were jailed while one was freed after a night in custody. Six members of the Catalan parliament have also been tried by the Spanish authorities over their contribution to the independence.
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