Arrest warrant issued for ex-Catalan leader Puigdemont

Last updated: November 4, 2017 at 16:50 pm

A Spanish judge has issued European arrest warrants for ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and four other separatist leaders.

Puigdemont and the four ex-members of his cabinet travelled to Brussels on Monday after being accused of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

National court judge Carmen Lamela has filed a request with the Belgian prosecutor to detain the five and also issued separate international search and arrest warrants to alert Europol in case they flee the country.

She rejected a request from Puigdemont to testify via video conference from Brussels.

"We're going to study [the EU arrest warrants)]and give it to a judge," a spokesperson for Belgium's state prosecutor said.

If they are arrested by Belgian police, Puigdemont and his colleagues would have to be brought in front a judge within 24 hours.

Belgian legal experts say extradition would take 15 days, but should the separatists appeal the process it could take a further 45 days - giving them enough time to participate in the region's snap election on 21 December.

She also detained another separatist politician, pending a €50,000 (£38,290) bail payment.