The European Union’s top court has handed a symbolic victory to Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont by annulling the lifting of his parliamentary immunity. The ruling on Thursday, February 5th affects Puigdemont—who remains Spain’s most-wanted fugitive—without immediately changing his situation as he has been living in Belgium since fleeing Spain.
Puigdemont was president of Catalonia during the 2017 independence referendum, which the Spanish government deemed illegal, sparking one of the country’s most serious political crises in decades.
Facing arrest, he—along with fellow separatist leaders Antoni Comín and Clara Ponsatí—left Spain and were subsequently elected to the European Parliament in 2019.
In 2021, following a request from Spain’s Supreme Court, the European Parliament lifted the immunity of Puigdemont, Comín, and Ponsatí.
The move was later upheld by the General Court of the European Union on appeal. However, the Court of Justice of the European Union has now ruled that the parliamentary rapporteur overseeing the immunity waiver was not impartial. According to the Luxembourg-based institution
The court sets aside the judgement of the General Court and annuls the three decisions of the parliament.
Puigdemont continues to face arrest in Spain, accused of a separate charge of embezzlement that does not come under the amnesty’s remit.
