Madrid court summons Puigdemont’s traveling companions

Spain’s National Court has summoned the four people who were traveling with deposed president Carles Puigdemont when he was detained by German police on March 25. The four men under investigation are two Mossos d'Esquadra police officers, the historian Josep Lluís Alay and a personal friend, the businessman Josep Maria Matamala. All four are summoned to appear in the Madrid high court on May 29.

At the end of March, the National Court prosecutor launched an investigation into whether the men were guilty of the offense of aiding and abetting by accompanying Puigdemont on his journey from Finland to Belgium after a European Arrest Warrant had been issued against the deposed Catalan president by Spain’s Supreme Court.

The two Catalan police officers and Alay were detained by Spanish police on March 28 in Barcelona on suspicion of aiding and abetting. After giving statements to the police they were allowed to go free. However, now the National Court judge has subpoenaed them to appear in at 10am on May 29. So far, Puigdemont’s friend Matamala had not been detained by police.