The prosecutor in Brussels has asked the Spanish authorities to provide a translation of the European arrest warrant issued on Monday for the detention of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who has lived in Belgium since the failed independence bid in 2017.
In a statement on Tuesday, the prosecutor said the arrest warrant, sent in Spanish, should be translated into one of Belgium’s three official languages – Dutch, French or German – or into English before the case can be considered.
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‘Given the complexity of the case and the two European arrest warrants already issued for Carles Puigdemont, the case requires an in-depth legal analysis,’ reads the statement, which also confirms that the arrest warrant had been received.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, the Spanish Judiciary has promised to deliver a translation of the arrest warrant – which seeks to extradite the former president for the charge of sedition – next week.
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It is the third warrant issued for Puigdemont’s arrest. The first two were withdrawn after Belgium and then Germany refused to extradite the former president for the charge of rebellion, which has no equivalent offence in the criminal codes of both countries.
Meanwhile, since the extradition request has been enforced, the European Parliament has not let him in as guest – he is an MEP-elect, but was not allowed to take up his seat. The chamber already vetoed him when the first – eventually failed – extradition request against him was ongoing.