Puigdemont vows to remain in Germany if released

The deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has stated that he will not attempt to flee the German justice system if he is allowed to walk free by the Schleswig-Holstein Supreme Court. He is currently being held in custody in Neumünster prison, in the north of Germany, awaiting the verdict on his extradition case.

“If the German judicial says that I can leave prison but stay in Germany, I will remain, I obviously won’t escape,” he said in an audio conversation recorded in the prison with two MPs from the Die Linke party, commonly known as the Left Party.

“I am not defending myself, but I represent a very old institution,” Puigdemont said in the recording. He asserted that after his trip to Finland, where he had been invited by Finnish MP Mikko Kärnä, he intended to return to Belgium and hand himself in to the justice system there.

Regarding protests in Catalonia demanding his release, he state that he was “very proud of the reaction of the people” in the country, highlighting that it is “very democratic.”

In the 26 minute audio, Puigdemont explained that he is receiving “correct and professional” treatment in the German prison.

He also rejected the charges of rebellion against him, which can carry a prison sentence of around 30 years, insisting that he is against violence. “We are not criminals, we want to decide our future,” he said.

Requested extradition

The prosecutor in the German area of Schleswig-Holstein has requested Carles Puigdemont’s extradition in the regional high court, which will now have to decide whether or not to accept Spain’s European Arrest Warrant for the deposed Catalan president.

The prosecutor argues that Puigdemont should be extradited to Spain for high treason and misuse of public funds, two crimes recognized in the German criminal code. In Spain, he faces charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds for his role in Catalonia’s independence bid, which carry prison sentences of up to 40 years. 

Puigdemont left Catalonia last October

The deposed Catalan president has been behind bars since he was detained by the German authorities on March 25, while on his way back to Belgium after a trip to Finland.

Puigdemont left Catalonia last October when he and his cabinet were dismissed by the Spanish government following a declaration of independence. He left the country alleging that he would not be able to get a fair trial Spain.