Spanish court lifts arrest warrant for former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont

A Spanish judge has revoked an arrest warrant for exiled Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, according to reports from Al Jazeera, Reuters, and Euronews. The decision follows a ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court that an amnesty law applies to embezzlement charges against him. The ruling paves the way for the former regional president to return to Spain without facing arrest. [1][2][4][7]

Euronews reported that Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena cancelled the national arrest warrant following the Constitutional Court endorsement. Al Jazeera noted that the European Parliament had previously lifted the immunity of three Catalan politicians, including Puigdemont. His legal clearance comes ahead of a general election scheduled for November, according to the South China Morning Post. [1][3][4]

Puigdemont served as the 130th President of the Government of Catalonia from 2016 to 2017. His administration organized an independence referendum that resulted in an unsuccessful Catalan declaration of independence and his removal from office. He later served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024 and became the President of Together for Catalonia in 2024. [11]

Following the 2017 independence referendum, Puigdemont fled to Belgium to avoid prosecution, Al Jazeera and the New York Times reported. Euronews noted that he had lived abroad since the unilateral declaration of independence, although he made a brief public appearance in Barcelona in 2024 without being detained. [1][4][7]