The Spanish Constitutional Court has decided that the arrest warrant against Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont must be revoked, thus clearing a path for him to return to Spain as a free man.
The court issued this ruling on Tuesday, deciding by a seven-to-five vote that amnesty should be applied to the charge of embezzlement linked to the Catalan independence process. This decision is not limited to Puigdemont; it also applies to other prominent politicians involved in the process who have faced past convictions. By granting this amnesty, the individuals concerned are enabled to return to public life, hold government positions, and participate in elections.
Candido Conde-Pumpido, President of the Constitutional Court, stated that the previous rejection of amnesty by the Supreme Court represented an “extensive and contradictory” interpretation of current amnesty laws. Based on this judgment, the Constitutional Court’s decision will now be transmitted to the Supreme Court, which is anticipated to lift the national arrest warrants against Puigdemont and other politicians.
