Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said on Wednesday he was returning to Spain after seven years in self-imposed exile, where he is likely to be arrested for his role in the region's 2017 bid for independence, Reuters reports.
His arrest and possible imprisonment before he faces trial could unleash fresh turmoil in Catalonia and unravel Spain's fragile Socialist-led coalition, which relies on the hardline Junts party Puigdemont to pass legislation.
As a condition set by the "Juntas" for its legislative support for the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain's parliament approved an amnesty law in May aimed at allowing Puigdemont's return from Belgium by canceling legal proceedings against hundreds of separatists involved in the illegal 2017 referendum in Catalonia.
The Parliament of Catalonia has summoned all deputies to the investiture debate of the next president of the Generalitat. I have to be there and I want to be there. That is why I have embarked on a journey back from exile. pic.twitter.com/jcO5MA8czX
— krls.eth / Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) August 7, 2024
But Spain's Supreme Court said last month that the amnesty should not apply to the abuse charge against Puigdemont and upheld the arrest warrant he faces.
However, Puigdemont said he remained committed to attending when the Catalan parliament swears in the region's new leader after the May election, in which Puigdemont finished second.
On Wednesday, Puigdemont said he would keep his word and be in Barcelona in Thursday.
"I have started the return journey from exile", he said in a video posted on X, adding that he intended to attend Thursday's session, which is set to appoint Socialist Salvador Illa as the new president of Catalonia, ending more than a decade of separatist governments.
Puigdemont's supporters plan to gather and greet him on Thursday morning on a Barcelona avenue near the regional parliament, setting the stage for a potentially dramatic arrest watched by reporters and bystanders.
Neither Puigdemont nor the "Juntas" said on Wednesday whether he had already entered Spain.
In the video address, Puigdemont said his arrest would be illegal and arbitrary.