- Police are looking for Puigdemont.
Wanted Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who made a lightning visit to Barcelona on Thursday, has already left for Belgium again, according to his party Junts' general secretary. He plans to continue working from Waterloo, Jordi Turull told Catalan radio station RAC1. Puigdemont had been in Barcelona since Tuesday evening. The Catalan police held a press conference to explain the failed attempt to arrest Puigdemont.
Puigdemont's lawyer Gonzalo Boye had already stated that his client was outside Spain again. Puigdemont had lived in Belgium for most of the time since his flight abroad on October 30, 2017, following his failed attempt to secede Catalonia from Spain. He had also spent some time in southern France recently.
Lawyer's take on speech and disappearance
Boye had dismissed the fuss about his client's return to Barcelona on Wednesday, his brief speech in front of thousands of supporters, and his subsequent disappearance under the eyes of the press and police. "He did his political work and went home like anyone else," he told journalists. In any case, Puigdemont "will never surrender."
The Catalan police admitted they had failed to arrest Puigdemont in Barcelona. However, police chief commissioner Eduard Sallent asked for understanding for the security forces' actions at a press conference. The main goals on Thursday were to maintain public order and ensure the election of a new Catalan president in the Barcelona parliament, Sallent said. These tasks had been accomplished. Why Puigdemont's arrest failed would need to be analyzed in more detail.
Police ill-prepared
Sallent confirmed that the police had planned for Puigdemont to go to the parliament, as he had repeatedly announced. Therefore, they had stationed police there. "That seemed the most favorable place for an arrest," Sallent said.
In reality, after his brief speech, Puigdemont was taken by helpers behind the stage to a vehicle and driven away. "Everything happened very quickly, and our officers couldn't intervene due to a crowd of people," Sallent said.
Puigdemont was accompanied by representatives of the state, the parliament, and many supporters during his brief appearance, making an arrest more difficult. Additionally, two police officers helped Puigdemont, who were later arrested.
Catalan interior minister criticizes Spanish judge
Catalan interior minister Joan Ignasi Elena criticized the Spanish justice system, saying there was an "abnormal situation" where a judge refused to apply an amnesty law to the people it was made for. Without naming him, Elena referred to Spanish investigating judge Pablo Llarena. Llarena accuses Puigdemont of embezzling public funds for his own benefit during the 2017 independence referendum, instead of paying for his political goals from his own pocket. Embezzlement for personal enrichment is not covered by the amnesty. The legal clarification of the correct interpretation of the amnesty law could take months.
Puigdemont continues his exile in Belgium, working from the city of Waterloo as announced. Despite the Catalan police's attempts, Puigdemont had managed to leave Spain yet again, finding refuge in the country where he had spent a significant period of time post-October 30, 2017.
