Catalonia’s fugitive separatist ex-premier, Carles Puigdemont, has left Spain and is back in Belgium, the head of his party Junts per Catalunya has confirmed.
Puigdemont appeared in the centre of Barcelona on Thursday and addressed supporters next to the regional parliament building. He had announced his arrival in Barcelona extensively. The Catalan police who were supposed to arrest him failed to capture the controversial politician. Two officers were arrested for allegedly being involved in the ‘disappearance’ of Puigdemont, immediately after his speech on Thursday morning.
Catalan police launched an hours-long manhunt, but failed to trace him. The Spanish government blames Puigdemont’s escape on the failure of the Catalan police, but otherwise remains silent, according to Spanish media.
Illegal referendum
Puigdemont, who was Prime Minister of Catalonia, fled to Belgium after an illegal attempt to secede Catalonia in October 2017. Numerous separatist leaders and politicians have been prosecuted and convicted for their part in the chaotic attempt to leave the Spanish kingdom, but the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has declared a political amnesty for them.
However, Puigdemont is still wanted, as he is also suspected of crimes that, according to the judiciary, do not fall under the amnesty scheme, including financial malfeasance.
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Catalan police have doubts
The Catalan police assume that the missing Carles Puigdemont is still in Spain. The party of the former prime minister said earlier that he was returning to Belgium, but the authorities doubt that.
“I don’t trust what politicians say about his departure from Spain,” says police chief Eduard Sallent. In any case, the police have not received any information that Puigdemont has left the country.
Spanish government
Junts per Catalunya secretary general Jordi Turull said on Friday that the party was reconsidering its support for Sánchez’s central government in parliament in Madrid. The Socialist prime minister’s government introduced the amnesty law to gain support from Catalan separatists and other small parties to form a new government.
Sánchez’s PSOE party lost in last year’s elections and lost its majority in parliament. The PSOE now governs with a narrow majority of seats thanks to the support of several small parties. The Spanish lower house has 350 seats. Sánchez’s government now has the support of 179 deputies, including the seven from Puigdemont and Turull’s party.
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By: Editorial Staff
