Court requests Puigdemont’s extradition for corruption

The European Arrest Warrant issued by the Spanish Supreme Court against the deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, detained in Germany since Sunday, requests his extradition citing corruption as his crime. This, although the pro-independence leader is officially accused of rebellion and misuse of public funds.

The move could facilitate the extradition of Puigdemont, since corruption is one of the 32 categories of offences in the cross-border procedure which does not require the double criminality check—this is the verification that the act being prosecuted is a criminal offence in both countries.

Puigdemont is currently being held in custody in the German region of Schleswig-Holstein. Although a decision on his extradition could take up to 90 days, the judge overseeing his case has yet to decide on what precautionary measures should be applied while awaiting the final verdict.

In Spain, Puigdemont faces criminal charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds, carrying prison sentences of up to 40 years. Although the German criminal code does not include the charges of rebellion, the crime of high treason covers similar offences, according to legal experts.

Puigdemont’s detention has sparked a new wave of protests back at home, with pro-independence supporters taking to the streets all across Catalonia and some even blocking major highways for hours.

In the political field, Puigdemont’s detention has prompted his party to put him forward as presidential candidate again, after his bid for office was temporarily suspended last January when the Spanish Constitutional Court blocked his election at a distance.