Puigdemont urges Spain's Constitutional Court to lift arrest warrant

The former Catalan president and current leader of the pro-independence Junts party, Carles Puigdemont, has appealed the Supreme Court's decision not to grant him an amnesty for facing charges of misuse of public funds.

Puigdemont's lawyers appealed the court's decision to the Spanish Constitutional Court and also urged for his arrest warrant in national territory to be lifted, or at least temporarily.

The text filed to the top court reminds the top court that its magistrates considered the amnesty law on the Catalan independence push constitutionally binding. The Spanish prosecution and the State attorney have even defended an amnesty for the politician.

The politician also believes that the Supreme Court has become "an interested party in the judicial case, which compromises the appearance of impartiality." The defendant also states that he should be tried at the Catalan High Court, as he is a member of Parliament, and not in the Supreme Court.

He also cites that the amnesty law is explicit enough as it does not grant an amnesty to those facing charges of misuse of public funds who were looking for a "personal enrichment."

The Supreme Court is "emptying the law of power, and making an exception to reality."

Puigdemont currently resides in Belgium after leaving Spain in late October after the 2017 independence referendum. He appeared for a five minutes speech which was live broadcasted and attended by thousands of spectators on August 8, 2024, on a stage in front of thousands in the city center of Barcelona, before leaving again.

He was a member of the European Parliament for the pro-independence Junts party before being elected as an MP in the Catalan chamber. However, he has still not taken part in any debate in person.

The amnesty law is part of a deal between Catalan pro-independence parties, Junts and Esquerra Republicana, to support Socialist Pedro Sánchez in his bid to be re-elected as Spanish PM back in November 2023.

The law officially came into force in May 2024, and over a year later, there have been more than 300 people who have been granted an amnesty, including pro-independence politicians and demonstrators, but also police officers.

More recently, Spain's Constitutional Court ruled that the law is Constitutionally binding after four days of deliberations, the court endorsed the law, via the votes of the progressive majority (six votes to four).

Press play below to listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode on the amnesty law or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or Spotify.