Puigdemont walks out of jail, urges talks with Madrid
Neumunster ( Germany) April 6: Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont called for immediate “political dialogue” to end the row with Madrid as he left a German jail on bail Friday after judges rejected his extradition to Spain on a rebellion charge.
“The time for dialogue has arrived,” Mr Puigdemont told reporters outside the Neumuenster prison, after he walked free on a 75,000- euro ($ 92,000-) bail while judges mull whether to extradite him on a lesser charge of corruption.
“We have demanded dialogue for several years and we have only received violence and repression,” Puigdemont said.
There is “no excuse” for the Spanish authorities not to start “a political dialogue with the Catalan political leaders”, he added.
The 55- year- old also called for “the immediate release” of all Catalan separatists detained in the spat with Madrid over the wealthy northeastern region’s failed breakaway bid.
In a major victory for Puigdemont, the upper state court in SchleswigHolstein on Thursday dismissed Spain’s request to extradite Puigdemont on a rebellion charge over last October’s independence referendum, deemed illegal by Madrid.
The judges ruled that the charge was “inadmissable” because rebellion — which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in Spain — was not punishable under German law.
The closest German equivalent, the criminal offence of high treason, did not apply because Puigdemont’s actions were not accompanied by violence, the judges found.
But they said the former Catalan president could still be sent to Spain to face trial for the alleged misuse of public funds in organising the disputed referendum.
The German judges said they needed to gather more information before making a decision on the embezzlement charge in the coming weeks, but ruled that Puigdemont could be released in the meantime.