Ponsati’s extradition fight invokes Spain’s ‘dark days of Franco’

Lawyers for former Catalan minister condemn ‘abuse’ of warrant

Lawyers for St Andrews professor Clara Ponsati have interviewed legal experts in Catalonia as part of her £500,000 extradition battle.

Prof Ponsati was greeted by flagwaving Catalonia supporters when she returned to Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to resume her fight against the Spanish authorities.

The former Catalan minister is wanted in Spain for her part in an unsanctioned independence referendum in the region last October.

Outside court, her lawyer said Spain’s extradition bids show the country is facing its “greatest crisis since the dark days of General Franco”.

Gordon Jackson QC, for Prof Ponsati, said: “The agents in this case have spoken to experts. They have visited Catalonia. We are also going to be speaking to more experts in London.”

Earlier this month, Aamer Anwar, the

“The agents in this case have spoken to experts. They have visited Catalonia. GORDON JACKSON QC

solicitor leading Prof Ponsati’s defence, said they could need as much £500,00 to ensure they have access to leading experts and witnesses.

The professor is wanted by the Spanish authorities on charges of violent rebellion and misappropriation of public funds.

Her extradition is being fought on several grounds, including the validity of the warrant and her human rights.

Under the rules of the European arrest warrant, a suspect can only be extradited if there are equivalent laws in both jurisdictions.

After the hearing, Mr Anwar accused Spain of “abusing” the arrest warrant as a “tool of political oppression”.

“Spain today faces its greatest crisis since the dark days of General Franco,” he said.

“Without the unconditional release of all political prisoners and the withdrawal of the European arrest warrants, there will never be a resolution to this crisis.”

Further procedural hearings are due to take place on June 12 and July 15, before the professor’s case is heard in full over two weeks from July 30.

Prof Ponsati was head of economics at the university when she became the region’s education minister, just a few months before the referendum.

She returned to Scotland in March and resumed working at the university.

Picture: Getty Images. Supporters show solidarity with Professor Clara Ponsati, seen with Aamer Anwar, outside court.