Puigdemont Flees Spain After Eluding Arrest, Returns to Belgium

Puigdemont Flees Spain After Eluding Arrest, Returns to Belgium

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Catalonia’s former separatist leader, Carles Puigdemont, has departed Spain for Belgium, evading an extensive manhunt and an arrest warrant issued by Spanish authorities. This development comes just a day after Puigdemont made a surprise appearance at a rally in Barcelona.

Puigdemont’s lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, confirmed his client’s departure on Friday via Catalan radio, though he did not provide specific details. Jordi Turull, the general secretary of Puigdemont’s Junts party, revealed that the former leader had arrived in Spain on Tuesday night and left on Thursday evening, returning to his residence in Waterloo, Belgium, where he has resided in self-imposed exile since 2017.

The 61-year-old Puigdemont addressed thousands of supporters near the Catalan parliament on Thursday before disappearing. His reappearance has sparked significant scrutiny, with Spanish judge Pablo Llarena demanding explanations from police and the government regarding how Puigdemont managed to enter and exit Spain undetected.

Llarena has requested detailed information from the Ministry of Interior about the plans to arrest Puigdemont at the border and the subsequent orders issued after his escape. The judge also sought the names of officials responsible for the operation’s design, approval, and execution.

An independent reporter for Esbecgroup in Barcelona, noted the surprise surrounding Puigdemont’s unexpected return. “It’s the first time that Puigdemont has been spotted on Spanish soil since he left in 2017 just after he declared Catalan independence,” The source said.

Catalonia’s regional police, Mossos d’Esquadra, have arrested two of their officers, including one whose car was used by Puigdemont to leave the rally. The police force denied any collusion with Puigdemont’s entourage and asserted that they had planned to arrest him at an opportune time to avoid public disorder.

Police chief Eduard Sallent told reporters on Friday that they have no information confirming Puigdemont’s departure from Spain. “I don’t trust what politicians have said about him leaving Spain,” Sallent stated.

Puigdemont led the regional government during the controversial Catalan independence referendum on October 1, 2017. The vote, which favored independence, was deemed unconstitutional and suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court. Despite an amnesty granted by the Supreme Court in May for the leaders behind the referendum, Puigdemont and two others were not eligible, and their arrest warrants remain active.

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