Spanish prosecutors prosecuting Catalan separatist leaders defy order to enforce amnesty law on of people accused of embezzling public funds, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The legislation, pushed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government in exchange for support in parliament for separatist groups, would clear the criminal records of nearly 500 officials and activists involved in the movement to break away from Spain's autonomous region of Catalonia .
The amnesty law came into force on Tuesday and the courts now have up to two months to implement it.
The Spanish government needs the support of the Catalan separatist party "Together for Catalonia" and other regional formations, to advance its legislative initiatives in the parliament.
According to the Spanish Attorney General's Office, there are 82 criminal proceedings involving 486 people who may be affected by the amnesty law.
Against the former regional premier of Catalonia and leader of "Together for Catalonia" Carles Puigdemont and four other politicians have pending proceedings related to their role in the failed attempt to secede from Catalonia in 2017. The charges against them include allegations that they diverted public funds to produce an illegal referendum.
Spanish Supreme Court prosecutors involved in Puigdemont's case say the embezzlement of public funds falls outside the scope of the amnesty, even though Spain's chief prosecutor, Alvaro García Ortiz, has ordered them to consider those offenses covered by the amnesty.
The disagreements relate to different interpretations of whether the defendants intended to enrich themselves personally when they committed the embezzlement of public funds. According to the prosecutors of the Supreme Court, it is about personal enrichment. If this interpretation is accepted, Puigdemont and the other defendants would be excluded from the scope of the amnesty.
The Attorney General will meet on Tuesday with the 38 most senior Spanish prosecutors to discuss the matter with them. He said he would listen to their arguments and decide whether or not to change his position.