Catalonia’s leader f lees to Brussels ...and may seek asylum to avoid jail
THE future of Catalonia hung in the balance yesterday after the region’s former leader fled Spain.
Shortly after prosecutors accused former Catalonian president Carles Puigdemont of several crimes for leading a bid for independence, it emerged he had fled to Belgium.
The move comes despite his earlier promises to fight Madrid’s attempt to impose direct rule on the region.
The ousted leader’s Belgian lawyer Paul Bekeart last night confirmed that Mr Puigdemont is staying in the country and did not rule out an asylum application.
Mr Bekeart, who has previously represented members of ETA, the militant Basque separatist group, said Mr Puigdemont ‘looks very well’ and would make a statement setting out his position today.
There were also reports that Mr Puigdemont, who is understood to have travelled with five former Catalan ministers, is prepared to form a government in exile.
The extraordinary developments came as Madrid moved to establish direct rule over the autonomous region using unprecedented constitutional powers.
Independence leaders had insisted they would peacefully resist the takeover, claiming last week’s declaration of independence was valid. But, with jail threats hanging over them, politicians yesterday agreed to dissolve Catalonia’s parliament – a sign they had all but bowed to Madrid.
Several parties, including Mr Puigdemont’s Democratic Party, have also said they will take part in elections in December, raising the prospect of the former leader campaigning from abroad.
The independence leader began yesterday by goading opponents with an online post appearing to show the government palace courtyard, suggesting he had come out of hiding to go to work. However, it appeared to be a ploy after it emerged Mr Puigdemont had travelled to Brussels.
Belgian migration minister Theo Francken, whose Flemish party is sympathetic to Catalan separatists, appeared to open the door on Sunday after he said Mr Puigdemont could apply for asylum under Belgian laws. He was later slapped down by his country’s prime minister Charles Michel, who warned his coalition colleague not to ‘throw oil on the fire’.
Spain’s ruling Popular Party yesterday branded the decision to flee the country as an act of ‘abso- lute desperation’. Prosecutors earlier outlined charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement against Mr Puigdemont and the 14 members of his government’s executive, as well as six members of the Catalan parliament’s speaker’s committee.
The group is accused of misusing £5.5million in public money by arranging the disputed independence referendum earlier this month. They face up to 30 years in prison if convicted for rebellion and up to 15 years for sedition.
Mr Puigdemont’s lawyer, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, yesterday hinted that his client is willing to risk arrest by ignoring the court summons attached to the charges.
He admitted that Mr Puigdemont had been ‘affected’ by the threats to jail him, and said the charges were ‘disproportionate’.
Despite Madrid’s threats that officials had only a ‘few hours’ to leave their offices, some still turned up to work.
Territories minister Josep Rull posted a picture of himself sitting at his desk online, though he left an hour later.