Cs alleges Catalan police officer 'covertly' acted as bodyguard for Carles Puigdemont

The public prosecutor in Catalonia has begun an investigation into allegations that a Catalan police officer providing security advice to the home affairs department acted as a bodyguard for former president Carles Puigdemont in his travels around Europe.

The investigation is the result of a legal complaint by the unionist Ciutadans (Cs) opposition party, which alleges that in July 2018 the home affairs minister, Miquel Buch, "covertly" appointed the Mossos d'Esquadra officer to provide Puigdemont with personal protection.

Should the prosecutor decide the allegations have substance, it could lead to home affairs officials being charged with aiding and abetting and misuse of public funds. To back their case, Cs provided the prosecutor with images and social media messages.

Ciutadans on yellow ribbons

Meanwhile, in parliament on Wednesday, the leader of Cs, Inés Arrimadas, accused Quim Torra of doing "whatever he feels like," after the president refused to comply with the order by the electoral authority to take down yellow ribbon symbols from government buildings.