Puigdemont includes Spain in lawsuit against Spanish judge Llarena

The legal defense of exiled former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has expanded the lawsuit against the Spanish judge Pablo Llarena to include Spain.

Carles Puigdemont made the announcement himself in Waterloo on Friday afternoon to the media.

Puigdemont said: "Following the active role of the Kingdom of Spain in this demand, which was previously against just one individual, we thought it appropriate, as it is already a European issue, that it was necessary to expand it."

Pablo Llarena is the Supreme Court judge who was handling the Catalan independence case before it entered the trial phase. He issued international arrest warrants for Puigdemont and other exiled leaders, but withdrew them after it became apparent they could be rejected.