Brussels, 9 March 2021
Carles Puigdemont, Clara Ponsati and Toni Comin MEPs at the entrance of the hearing in the European Parliament for the request. /
MARIA CASTANYER / ACN
The European Parliament has officially announced, after debating it in plenary on Monday, that it withdraws parliamentary immunity of the ‘former president’ Carles Puigdemont and the ‘ex-councilors’ Toni Comín and Clara Ponsatí. The decision was taken by 400 votes in favor, 248 against and 45 abstentions. In the case of Ponsatí and Comín, the decision was 404 in favor, 247 against, and 42 abstentions.
The Eurocamara thus attends to the request requested 14 months ago by the Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena. The decision of the European Parliament will allow the Supreme Court to reactivate the European arrest and surrender order, although Puigdemont plans to immediately appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) and will request precautionary measures to maintain his immunity.
The document voted by the plenary states that “it has not found evidence of ‘fumus persecutionis’ that indicates that the underlying intention of the judicial procedure may be to damage the political activity of a member and, therefore, of the European Parliament.” In addition, remember that the case for which immunity is requested, the 1-O process, is not related to their position as MEPs, but refers to events that occurred in 2017 and the criminal process initiated in 2018.
Before reactivating the extradition process, which was paralyzed, both in Belgium and Scotland, when Puigdemont, Comín and Ponsatí were appointed MEPs, Judge Llarena will ask the CJEU about the possibilities of rejecting a Euro order and the case of Belgium where it was precisely The one issued against the ‘ex-minister’ Puig was rejected at the beginning of the year for embezzlement of funds in relation to the 1-O referendum. In the case of the three MEPs, the Supreme Court claims them for a crime of sedition and for another of embezzlement in the case of Puigdemont and Comín.
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