Constitutional Court unlikely to rule on amnesty for Puigdemont before Christmas

Spain's Constitutional Court is unlikely to make a ruling on the amnesty appeals for Carles Puigdemont and two former Catalan ministers before Christmas, according to its president, Cándido Conde-Pumpido.

During a breakfast briefing with journalists, he explained that although the original aim was to speed up proceedings and debate the appeals for Puigdemont, Toni Comín and Lluís Puig in September, challenges by the defense teams have led to delays.

The matter will take "several months" to resolve, he added.

In the meantime, the court will continue addressing, one by one, the appeals and constitutional questions against the law raised by the Catalan High Court (TJSC), Spain's National Court, the Court of Auditors, and autonomous communities governed by the conservative People's Party (PP).

These rulings are expected to follow the precedent set by the June 26 decision in which the Constitutional Court upheld the constitutionality of the amnesty law in response to the PP's appeal.

The upcoming rulings on the regional appeals are not expected to address the core issue of embezzlement, which the Supreme Court has cited as grounds to deny the amnesty to the leaders of the Catalan independence process.

The last appeals to be addressed will be those filed by Puigdemont, Comín, and Puig against the Supreme Court's refusal to apply the amnesty. These cases, Pumpido said, "are unlikely to be resolved before Christmas."

Legal wrangling

The Spanish Congress voted in May 2024 to grant amnesty to those involved in the pro-independence push.

Although the law officially came into force the following month, legal appeals have prevented its application to Puigdemont, Comín, and Puig, who remain living in Belgium due to outstanding arrest warrants in Spain.