Politics · Spain · 4 hrs ago
Spanish judge confirms lifting arrest warrants for Puigdemont and two former officials
Spain’s Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena upheld the provisional lifting of national arrest warrants for Carles Puigdemont and former Catalan officials Antoni Comín and Lluis Puig.
The warrants were lifted after the Constitutional Court ruled that the amnesty law covers the alleged misuse of public funds in their case.
Llarena rejected an appeal against his October 6 decision, but said the criminal case is not over and a court panel must still issue a final ruling.
The Supreme Court had previously said the alleged misuse of funds brought a personal financial benefit because public money covered costs the officials would otherwise have faced.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling requires that interpretation to be set aside when deciding whether the warrants should remain in force.
Llarena said he disagreed with the reasoning and criticized the Constitutional Court’s language, while recognizing that its decision must be followed.
The warrants must be cancelled, but the case remains pending while other appeals and the final decision are dealt with.
Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena confirmed the provisional lifting of national arrest warrants for Carles Puigdemont and former regional ministers Antoni Comín and Lluis Puig.
Llarena rejected an appeal by the popular prosecution against his October 6 decision.
He said Constitutional Court doctrine on amnesty for embezzlement must be applied, although he disagreed with the reasoning behind it.
The ruling lifts the warrants but does not end the pending case or decide finally whether the defendants’ criminal liability is extinguished.
Llarena criticised the Constitutional Court’s language, noting that five of its judges had supported the Supreme Court’s interpretation while seven rejected it.
- Who
- Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena confirmed the decision concerning Carles Puigdemont, Antoni Comín and Lluis Puig.
- What
- He confirmed the provisional lifting of their national arrest warrants, applying Constitutional Court doctrine on amnesty for embezzlement.
- When
- October 19, 2026.
- Where
- Spain. The ruling was issued by a judge of Spain’s Supreme Court.
- Why
- The Constitutional Court’s doctrine required the Supreme Court to abandon its interpretation that the alleged personal financial benefit excluded the defendants from amnesty.
The Supreme Court’s interpretation, supported by five Constitutional Court judges
The Constitutional Court majority, supported by seven judges
Aspect
The Supreme Court’s interpretation, supported by five Constitutional Court judges
side A's view
The Constitutional Court majority, supported by seven judges
side B's view
Personal benefit
The Supreme Court’s interpretation, supported by five Constitutional Court judges
The defendants received a personal financial benefit by shifting public spending commitments onto public funds and avoiding the expense themselves.
The Constitutional Court majority, supported by seven judges
The benefit used to exclude conduct from amnesty must be distinguishable from the cost of the illegal independence referendum.
Legal basis
The Supreme Court’s interpretation, supported by five Constitutional Court judges
The Supreme Court’s interpretation was legally founded and could reasonably be sustained, Llarena said.
The Constitutional Court majority, supported by seven judges
The Constitutional Court majority rejected that interpretation in its ruling on the amnesty law.
Llarena provisionally lifted the national arrest warrants for Puigdemont, Comín and Puig.
Llarena rejected the popular prosecution’s appeal and confirmed the provisional lifting of the warrants.
- Defendants
- Carles Puigdemont, Antoni Comín and Lluis Puig
- Judge
- Pablo Llarena, Spain’s Supreme Court
- Initial decision
- October 6, 2026
- Confirmation
- October 19, 2026
- Constitutional Court split
- Seven judges rejected the Supreme Court’s interpretation; five supported it
3 sources
Catalonia's former rebel president can return to Spain, court rules
Llarena ratifica la retirada de la orden de detención de Puigdemont pero critica la falta de "mesura" del TC: "Los adjetivos no convierten en indiscutible lo que ha fracturado al Tribunal"
Llarena confirma su decisión de retirar provisionalmente la orden de detención de Puigdemont
What people are saying
the adjectives do not make indisputable what has fractured the court
the doctrine of the Constitutional Court must be applied, even if the reasons on which it is based are not shared