Judge will ‘neglect duty’ if he denies jailed leader’s swearing in

The judge keeping some Catalan pro-independence leaders in pre-trial jail will “neglect his duty” if he denies one of the MPs behind bars the chance to be sworn in as president. This is what Carles Puigdemont said on Friday in an interview with El Punt Avui newspaper. The Parliament president, Roger Torrent, has called an investiture debate for next Monday, with Jordi Sànchez as presidential candidate. He is currently in pre-trial detention and waiting for the Spanish Supreme Court to decide on whether to allow him to attend the chamber so he can be appointed head of the Catalan government.

“What is left for democracy and the rule of law if a judge arbitrarily decides what MPs –with all their rights– can or cannot be appointed as president? What kind of democracy do they think we should have to live in?” asked Puigdemont.