Puigdemont will be extradited to Spain, Sanchez says all involved will be tried

The ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and all those involved in the failed attempt to secede Catalonia in the autumn of 2017 “must be tried before Spanish courts,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday.

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He made this statement at a press conference held after the NATO summit in Brussels, shortly after a court decision in the German city of Schleswig which ruled that Puigdemont could be extradited to Spain based on charges of misusing state funds. The same court dismissed a separate charge of rebellion, reports BBC.

For the extradition to take place, the approval of the state prosecutor is required.

“We do not comment on court decisions, we respect them, regardless of whether they are from a Spanish, Belgian, German, or any other court,” Sanchez told reporters at the Atlantic Alliance headquarters.

“It is important for the Spanish judiciary that those involved in the events that took place at the end of 2017 must be tried before Spanish courts,” he emphasized.

A total of 25 Spanish leaders have been charged for their participation in the attempt to secede Catalonia from Spain on October 27, 2017. Thirteen have been charged with rebellion, nine are in custody, and four have fled abroad, including Carles Puigdemont who went to Belgium after the referendum but was arrested in Germany on March 25.

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The court in the northern German city of Schleswig ruled on Thursday that Puigdemont could be extradited based on the charge of misusing state funds. It dismissed the separate charge of rebellion. Spain requested his extradition due to the key role he played in the controversial referendum on Catalan independence.