Spain: Puigdemont Denied Amnesty

No amnesty for Carles Puigdemont, leader of the Together for Catalonia party, which allowed the formation of a Spanish government led by Socialist Pedro Sanchez, whose party came second in the last election behind the Popular Party, which, however, failed to find a majority. A majority that was guaranteed to the leftist government by various independent parties, provided that the crimes that followed Catalonia’s declaration of independence, which occurred after a 2017 referendum not recognized by Madrid, were amnestied. Former Catalan governor Puigdemont has since been living outside of Spain, as an arrest warrant was issued for him.

For example, a law granting amnesty to pro-independence leaders was approved in May 2024, but the Supreme Court, Spain’s highest judicial body, ruled that it did not apply to all the crimes charged against Puigdemont.

The Tribunal essentially refused to grant amnesty, explaining that “a Supreme Court judge today issued a ruling declaring the amnesty inapplicable to the crime of misappropriation in the trial against former President of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont,” so the arrest warrant is still in force. The warrants against Toni Comin and Luis Puig, two political associates of the Catalan leader, are also valid, the court explains.