The Court of Justice of the European Union today rejected an appeal by Catalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Tony Comin, who wanted to be recognized as MEPs after the European elections in June 2019, Reuters reported, citing the court , quoted by BTA.
The two were elected MEPs in 2019, but their status was not recognized because they did not take an oath to uphold the Spanish constitution. This procedure is carried out in person in Madrid and is a requirement for all newly elected MEPs from Spain.
The Court of Justice of the EU upheld a decision of the General Court of the EU which removed the immunity that Puigdemont and Comin would have enjoyed as MEPs.
„We will continue to fight and persevere on all fronts to give voice and vote for what is written in the ballot boxes,” said on the social network “X“ the general secretary of the party “Together for Catalonia” Jordi Turul.
This is the party of Puigdemont and Comin, which is campaigning for Catalonia's independence from Spain.
Puigdemont left Spain in 2017 to avoid prosecution after Catalonia's short-lived independence declaration forced Madrid to take direct control of the region.
Comin was re-elected as a member of the European Parliament in this year's elections in June and again refused to take the oath in Madrid to the Spanish constitution.
Both separatist leaders live in self-imposed exile. The decision of the Court of the EU may open the door for their eventual extradition to Spain, notes Reuters.
In July, Spain's Supreme Court upheld arrest warrants for Puigdemont, Comin and others accused of embezzling funds in connection with Catalonia's failed secession bid, ruling that the recent amnesty law did not apply to them.