Spanish president says defense of judge in Belgium is a ‘state matter’

Spain’s president Pedro Sánchez has come out in defense of the Supreme Court judge summoned to appear in a Belgian court as part of a lawsuit brought by Catalan independence leaders in exile. “It’s not a private matter but one of state,” said Sánchez.

While on a visit to Chile, Sánchez said that defending judge Pablo Llarena is a defense of the Spanish judiciary: “The State must defend the jurisdictional sovereignty of Spain when it is questioned, which the government has been clear about since the beginning,” he added.

Llarena has been summoned to appear in a Belgian court on September 4. Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and four of his ex-ministers are suing Llarena for violating their presumption of innocence in the case against those involved in last year’s independence bid.