Judge calls for investigation into Carles Puigdemont's escape

Spain's Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena has asked a Barcelona court to investigate the escape of Carles Puigdemont on August 8.

The judge sees possible crimes in the escape and does not rule out that police officers helped the former Catalan president leave the country.

Llarena believes that a crime of "omission of the duty to prosecute crimes" may have been committed.

Based on the reports of the Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra and the Interior Ministry, Llarena believes that there were "no obstacles" that would have prevented the police from arresting Puigdemont before he joined the crowd.

The former Catalan president returned to Catalonia on August 8 after seven years in exile. He was still wanted by authorities on charges of misuse of public funds for organizing the 2017 independence referendum, which was deemed illegal by Spain. 

On August 8, the pro-independence leader appeared at Barcelona's Arc de Triomf for a welcome reception with thousands of supporters. After a short speech, the former president disappeared. 

Although the Catalan police had activated the 'operació Gàbia,' a special operation used in the past only during terrorist incidents like the one in 2017, his whereabouts were unknown. 

Two days later, and after much speculation, it was confirmed that he was back in Brussels.