Beatriz Parera 20/01/2020
When Carles Puigemont won the elections to the European Parliament in May, he knew from the beginning that his situation would eventually lead to the processing of a plea in the Eurochamber, the only way to proceed judicially against a MEP. And he started preparing since then. His team of lawyers then advised him to surround himself with a group of experts specialized in the management of these types of parliamentary permits. Said and done, the ‘expresident’ was assembling, as in a Lego play, a ‘dream team’ to deal with the plea of the Supreme Court, which has already requested the necessary authorization to continue investigating him and trying to judge him for the same crimes for which Oriol Junqueras and the rest of Catalan politicians already earned a condemnation.
The final result has been the union of a total of 12 lawyers from five countries. Germany, Belgium, France, United Kingdom and Spain. The environment of Puigdemont jealously guards the secret of the identities of its members and only points out that “it will surprise a lot”. He is also convinced that the processing will be more complex than it may seem and that it will have the option to show – in a privileged environment, which focuses European media attention – his version of a cause that has lived in rebellion since startup.
The countdown has already begun. The Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena decided on January 10 to keep the euroorders against him and Toni Comín, request a suspension of the deadlines and a plea for the European Parliament to lift the immunity of both. The two have already appealed the decision, both in reform and on appeal, before the high court. They indicate that the TS is no longer competent, not even to remit the plea, because the two resigned from their seat of regional deputies and, therefore, are no longer graduated.
After the plea, the EP has already started the first steps. During the time in which these efforts are extended, the two escaped will maintain their presence in the Eurochamber, in which they were released a few days ago. In the event that the plea is granted, they will not lose the status of MEPs, but the Euro-orders would be immediately reactivated and the Belgian judge who takes care of them would clear the doubts about the immunity he expressed at first and that they were causing several postponements of sight.
January 27
The plea falls on what is known as the Committee on Legal Affairs. He will be in charge of studying the plea of the Spanish Justice and presenting a favorable or contrary report to it, which must then be voted on in the plenary of Parliament. The decision in one sense or another is taken by simple majority. The agency meets once a month and must do so for the first time in 2020 on January 27.
A total of 25 people make up this commission, which is now chaired by a deputy who will soon cease to be: the British Lucy Nethsingha. There are also Spaniards among them, in total, four. The socialist Iban García del Blanco and Esteban González Pons of the PP will be part of the study. Two others – Jorge Buxadé, of Vox, and Javier Nart, former of Ciudadanos – are listed as alternates. The Puigdemont case will be entrusted to a speaker who is elected by rotation.
The defense strategy is based on using this platform to try to make “a trial to trial,” sources of the defense indicate. For the study by its members, they will present evidence, much of them focused on trying to disassemble the Supreme procedure. In line with what they have been presenting, they will show violations of rights in what they consider a political cause.
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