Carles Puigdemont, the former president of Catalonia's regional government, can now return to Spain after the Supreme Court lifted the arrest warrant against him, ending a nine-year legal saga that began with the region's contested independence push. Yet the man who has led the separatist movement from self-imposed exile in Waterloo, Belgium, was quick to temper any expectations that the judicial breakthrough would heal the rift between Barcelona and Madrid.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Puigdemont welcomed the court's decision but insisted that the amnesty granted under Spain's 2024 law is not a political settlement. "As far as relations between Catalonia and Spain are concerned, nothing is being resolved today," he said, standing outside his Belgian base. The leader of Junts per Catalunya argued that the legal proceedings he faced amounted to "an improper use of judicial powers," a practice he described as "typical of authoritarian regimes and therefore unacceptable in a European democracy."
A legal battle over embezzlement
The immediate trigger for Tuesday's ruling was an appeal filed by Dolors Bassa, a former Catalan minister, after the Supreme Court refused to apply the amnesty to the charge of embezzlement against her. The central question was whether public funds used to organise the 1 October 2017 referendum could be covered by the amnesty law. The Supreme Court had argued that they could not, citing personal financial benefit for those who drove the vote. Spain's Constitutional Court, however, rejected that interpretation, paving the way for the amnesty to apply.
Judge Pablo Llarena, who has overseen the case, subsequently lifted the arrest warrant for Puigdemont, who had faced arrest if he set foot on Spanish soil. The former president left Spain after Catalonia's unilateral declaration of independence and the triggering of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which suspended the region's autonomy. He has lived in Waterloo since then, continuing his political work from abroad.
In his statement, Puigdemont said he had chosen "to go into exile in order to do politics" to defend the rights of Catalan citizens who, in his view, were "under threat" from Article 155. He framed the Constitutional Court's decision as "a disavowal of the repression" suffered by those involved in the so-called 'procés' — the independence drive that culminated in the 2017 referendum and the subsequent crackdown by Spanish authorities.
The amnesty law, passed in 2024, was a key concession by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to secure the support of Catalan separatist parties in the national parliament. It was designed to clear the legal records of hundreds of people involved in the independence movement, from politicians to civil servants and protesters. But its application has been anything but smooth, with courts in Spain and the European Union debating its scope.
For Puigdemont, the lifting of the arrest warrant is a personal victory, but he remains cautious about the future. He has not revealed when he plans to return to Spain, and his political strategy appears to be one of continued pressure on Madrid. "The amnesty is not the solution," he reiterated, suggesting that the underlying conflict over Catalonia's status remains unresolved.
The decision comes at a delicate time for Spanish politics. Sánchez has called a snap election, with housing and inflation dominating the campaign. The amnesty and the Catalan question are likely to feature prominently, as the conservative opposition has repeatedly criticised the law as a threat to the rule of law. The snap election could shift the EU's power balance, adding a European dimension to the domestic contest.
Meanwhile, Puigdemont's return could reignite tensions in Catalonia, where support for independence has waned in recent years but remains significant. His party, Junts, still holds sway in the region, and his presence on the ground could alter the dynamics of the separatist movement. Whether he will seek to re-enter the regional government or focus on national politics remains to be seen.
For now, the former president is savouring a legal victory that many thought impossible. But his warning that the amnesty is not a solution underscores the deep divisions that persist between Catalonia and the rest of Spain. As he prepares to end his exile, the question of what comes next for the region — and for Spain's fragile coalition politics — is more pertinent than ever.
