Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is once again in the spotlight, having filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court demanding the cancellation of the current arrest warrant against him. This move could pave the way for his return to Spain without the threat of immediate imprisonment.
Puigdemont and his lawyers argue that, following the Constitutional Court’s recognition of the amnesty law and the opinion issued by the European Union’s Advocate General, maintaining the arrest warrant no longer makes sense. In their view, further restricting the politician’s freedom could have irreversible consequences and render his appeal meaningless.
Alongside Puigdemont, other participants in the 2017 events who are also outside Spain have filed similar petitions. They insist that the Constitutional Court apply the provisions of the amnesty law to their cases, which would automatically revoke all active arrest warrants against them.
The court has already begun reviewing the submitted appeals and has opened a separate proceeding to analyze the issue of lifting the warrants. However, the exact date when a decision will be made remains unknown.
In his address, Puigdemont refers to a recent report by the Advocate General of the EU, which states that the Spanish amnesty law complies with European standards. According to the defense, this is yet another argument in favor of immediately lifting the restrictive measures. At the same time, the lawyers note that the Advocate General’s opinion is not binding, and the final decision rests with the European Union court.
Puigdemont’s lawyer is confident that European courts often follow the Advocate General’s opinion, which gives his position additional weight. Nevertheless, the fate of the former Catalan leader still depends on the decisions of Spanish and European courts.
