The EU Court of Justice has restored parliamentary immunity as a precautionary measure for Catalan MEP Carles Puigdemont , former president of the Generalitat. The decision also affects two other Catalan MEPs, Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati.
The three had lost their immunity in July 2021. For the court, the temporary reinstatement was necessary as there is "a high probability" that Puigdemont, currently residing in Belgium, will be arrested . The three are wanted by Spanish justice for the attempted secession of Catalonia in 2017 , with a referendum repressed in blood by the Rajoy government.
The decision could also have repercussions on the ongoing proceedings at the Sassari Court of Appeal for the extradition of Puigdemont , who was arrested on 23 September 2021 at Alghero airport on an international mandate requested by the Spanish judicial authority.
The Court of Appeal had then released the former Catalan president and in the hearing of 4 October 2021 had suspended his extradition pending the decisions of the EU.
“We are waiting to know in detail the decision taken by the European Court of Justice - comments the lawyer Agostinangelo Marras , who defends the MEP -. If it is a provision with provisional effect, it is unlikely to have effects on the proceedings underway in Sassari, but it is certainly a very important first step in resolving the matter ”.
