Constitutional Court ruling paves way for full amnesty for independence leaders

The Constitutional Court has rejected a draft ruling by conservative magistrate José María Macías which proposed dismissing the appeal for constitutional protection filed by Jordi Turull against the Supreme Court’s decision not to apply the amnesty to him.

The progressive majority prevailed over Macías’s position, which had ruled out granting amnesty for the crime of misuse of public funds.

The organizers of Catalonia's 2017 independence referendum have yet to have the amnesty fully applied to their cases over the crime of misuse of public funds. For this reason, there is still an arrest warrant out for former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who has been living in Belgium since 2017.

The magistrate must now present a new draft incorporating the "criteria expressed by the majority" at the upcoming plenary session on October 6, which will also debate the appeal filed by former minister Dolors Bassa.

The stance adopted by the Constitutional Court will determine the Supreme Court's course of action. The latter has indicated a willingness to apply the amnesty to the independence leaders once the Constitutional Court issues its first ruling.

Should the independence leaders have the amnesty applied to their cases, they will be able to run for public office once again, as well as allowing those living abroad to return.