Puigdemont ‘looks like he’s staying in exile’
CARLES PUIGDEMONT, the displaced Catalan independence leader, has reportedly rented a six-bedroom house at €4,400 (£3,900) a month in the Belgian town of Waterloo, a move seized upon by opponents as a sign that he plans to remain in his self-imposed exile.
The 550 sq m (6,000 sq ft) home was rented this week on Mr Puigdemont’s behalf, Belgian media reported.
The report was hailed by the Spanish government as a sign that Mr Puigdemont has no intention of returning to Spain, where he faces charges of sedition and rebellion over the Catalan independence referendum on Oct 1.
Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, a government spokesman, said news of the rental in Belgium gave the impression Mr Puigdemont “is going to stay there”.
Mr Méndez de Vigo also pointed to the text messages leaked earlier this week in which Mr Puigdemont appeared to acknowledge his independence drive was “finished”.
The lease for the home, which has a garage for four cars, three bathrooms and a sauna, was signed by Josep Maria Matamala Alzina, a close friend and adviser accompanying Mr Puigdemont in Belgium, according to L’echo, a Belgian newspaper.
But the contract, reportedly signed on Wednesday, could be torn up after the publication of the home’s location.
Mr Puigdemont’s team have remained silent on the report.