Catalan leader staying in Belgium ‘for now’ as he doesn’t trust Spain
Brussels — On Wednesday, deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said he will stay in Belgium "for now" despite Spain dropping European arrest warrants against him and four former ministers. Puigdemont accused Spain of backtracking on the warrants, which are on charges of sedition and rebellion over Catalonia’s illegal independence referendum, only because it was "scared of world opinion". He said that if his party wins elections in Catalonia on December 21 then "we should return" but did not give any further details of whether he would actually go back for the polls. "When I arrived here, I did not come to Belgium, I came to Brussels the capital of Europe, where we could better defend our rights, and that will not change," Puigdemont told a news conference in Brussels. "Can we move around the EU without fear? For now we don’t have an answer, so for now we will stay here." In a surprise move on Monday, Spanish supreme court judge Pablo Llarena withdrew a European arrest warrant as ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.