Public prosecutor expected to file rebellion charges against Puigdemont
Some Catalan officials turn up to work despite self-rule suspension while others obey and resign from their posts
Spain’s Attorney General José Manuel Maza is expected to file rebellion charges on Monday against the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, and Parliament president, Carme Forcadell, as well as the members of the government and the Parliament bureau.
According to Spanish criminal law, rebellion charges may apply to those who “violently and publicly” try to “abrogate, suspend or modify the Constitution, either totally or partially,” or “declare the independence of part of the national territory”. The crime of rebellion carries jail sentences of up to 30 years.
In his first institutional speech after the Catalan Parliament voted to declare independence on Friday, Puigdemont appeared on public TV on Saturday to call on people to "democratically oppose" Madrid's takeover of Catalonia's self-government.
The Catalan executive members are expected to go back to work on Monday in a day of uncertainty after the Spanish government triggered Article 155 of the Constitution and moved to suspend self-rule and seize control of the government in Barcelona. Some Catalan officials turned up to work while others obeyed and resigned from their posts.
The Spanish government has ordered the Catalan police to escort Catalan ministers to their offices in order to remove their belongings. If they fail to do so, police officers have been instructed to report them.
The Catalan minister for Territory and Sustainability, Josep Rull, tweeted a picture of himself at his office. “In my office, exercising the responsibilities that the Catalan people have entrusted us with,” he wrote, and added “seguim” (carry on). Joaquim Forn also arrived at the Catalan Home Affairs Ministry.