Prosecutors request full amnesty for Puigdemont and independence push leaders

Courts also ask that arrest warrants be lifted, including for Tsunami Democratic terrorism case

Junts+ candidate and former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont
Junts+ candidate and former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont / Nazaret Romero
Catalan News

Catalan News | @catalannews | Barcelona

June 19, 2024 02:14 PM

June 19, 2024 02:24 PM

Prosecutors have requested a full amnesty for leaders of Catalonia's 2017 independence push, including the former Catalan president still living in exile, Carles Puigdemont. 

In addition, prosecutors also request applying the recently passed amnesty to those involved in the Tsunami Democràtic terrorism case, and have asked for arrest warrants to be dropped. 

In total, it's been requested that cases against ten pro-independence politicians be dropped. 

The office considers that the amnesty is applicable to the former president's Tsunami Democràtic terrorism case because there was no serious violation of human rights or acts that resulted in death, torture, or slavery.

Carles Puigdemont was the candidate for pro-independence party Junts+ in the recent Catalan election and intends to put himself forward for the presidential investiture debate in the coming weeks.

However, both he and Socialist leader Salvador Illa, who won most votes and seats in the election, have communicated to the parliament speaker that they do not yet have the sufficient support in the chamber to be named president, and will therefore miss next week's first debate, starting an automatic two-month countdown for a president to be named or else a new election is called. 

In the letter to the criminal court that tried and sentenced several members of Carles Puigdemont's Catalan government that led the 2017 independence push, the prosecutor's office requests that criminal responsibility be declared null, and therefore the disqualification penalty still pending and the civil and accounting responsibilities, for Oriol Junqueras, Raül Romeva, Jordi Turull and Dolors Bassa for the crimes of disobedience and embezzlement.

The open disobedience case against former minister Clara Ponsatí has also been requested to be shelved, and those against Puigdemont, Toni Comín, Marta Rovira, and Lluís Puig be suspended.

Finally, in the letter to the judge in charge of the Tsunami Democràtic case', the prosecution requests that the case against Puigdemont and Ruben Wagensberg also be dismissed.