A lawyer for dismissed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, due to appear in a Spanish court this week to answer charges relating to Catalonia’s push for independence, said he would not return to testify but could answer questions from Belgium. If Mr. Puigdemont fails to appear before the court, an arrest warrant could be issued that would in turn prevent him from standing in the snap regional election called by the Spanish government for Dec. 21.
On Monday, Spain’s state prosecutor accused Mr. Puigdemont of rebellion and sedition for organising an independence referendum held on Oct. 1 in defiance of the Madrid government. Mr. Puigdemont travelled to Belgium at the weekend with other members of the dismissed Catalan administration and hired a lawyer.
“(He) is not going to Madrid and I suggest that they question him here in Belgium. It is possible,” Mr. Puigdemont’s lawyer Paul Bekaert told AP, adding there were provisions in the law that allowed his questioning outside of Spain.