Supreme Court opens terrorism trial against Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president

The Spanish Supreme Court agreed to open a case to investigate the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemontfled Spanish justice for terrorism crimes.

According to an order known this Thursday, the case also includes the deputy of the Catalan Parliament Ruben Wagensbergwho also resides outside of Spain.

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The investigation addresses actions that occurred in 2019 during the T movement protestsdemocratic sunami against a sentence that sentenced the independence leaders to prison, who were later pardoned by the Spanish Government.

The judges unanimously conclude that for these two judges, since Puigdemont is now an MEP, it is “it is necessary and pertinent that they be called to the procedure, to be heard as investigated, with all the rights and guarantees provided for in our legal system.”

This procedure can only be carried out by the Supreme Court because it involves authorized people, that is, people who, due to their position, They cannot be tried by ordinary courts but by others, as in this case the Spanish high court.

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The former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, currently resides in Belgium due to the arrest warrant for rebellion against him in Spain. (Photo: EFE)

The Supreme Court, which appoints the judge as instructor Susana Polodoes not doubt that the events attributed to the Democratic Tsunami, such as the blocking of Barcelona international airport for several hours by groups of protesters, correspond to a crime of terrorism.

According to the argument, the Democratic Tsunami could have committed “serious crimes against freedom, physical integrity, attacks, falsification of documents, goods and others” classified as terrorism.

“Within certain sectors of the independence movement, mobilizations progressively increased (…), especially through the Democratic Tsunami”, with “attempts to paralyze the airport” and “attacks on public and police buildings”, indicates the car.

The high court adopts this decision after analyzing the reasoned presentation of the judge of the Spanish National Court Manuel García-Castellón in the evidence that, in his opinion, proves the participation of Puigdemont and Wagensberg in the facts investigated.

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However, it declares incompetence to investigate the other ten defendants who are not certified.

The Supreme Court’s decision comes while a law is being processed in the Spanish Parliament to grant amnesty to Catalan independence activists that could include terrorism crimes, which Puigdemont’s party, Junts, demands to maintain its parliamentary support for the left-wing government led by the socialist Pedro Sánchez. .

Puigdemont was president of the regional government of Catalonia when the unilateral declaration of independence took place in 2017, after which he fled to Belgium, while Wagensberg, from the independent Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya party, went to Switzerland last January, claiming that from there he could better prepare his defense.

The former Catalan president ironically criticized the Supreme Court’s decision by publishing on the social network X: “Don’t let reality ruin a good accusation”. “I think I just need to open an account in Panama,” he wrote in his message.

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Source: Elcomercio