The Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court has asked Judge Pablo Llarena, the legal representative, to issue a new international arrest warrant against the former Minister of Culture of the Generalitat Lluís Puig, from Junts, who fled to Belgium with Carles Puigdemont in 2017. The letter recalls that, following the changes introduced by the penal reform agreed by the government of Pedro Sánchez and the ERC last December, Puig is still being prosecuted for the crimes of disobedience and embezzlement, therefore his arrest warrant will be reactivated must. Unlike Puigdemont and former city councilor Toni Comín, Puig is not an MEP, so his handover to Spain does not depend on a court case regarding the validity of his parliamentary immunity, as is the case with the previous two.
The document is signed by the four prosecutors who intervened during the investigation and trial phase of the trial before the Supreme Court – Consuelo Madrigal, Javier Zaragoza, Jaime Moreno and Fidel Cadena – who emphasize that “the acts constitute an embezzlement to which the article is applicable”. Article 432 of the Penal Code provides for prison sentences ranging from 6 to 12 years in prison given the large amount of embezzled funds.”
“The State Department,” the letter says, “is interested in reissuing an international search and arrest warrant should the processing of an extradition request become necessary, as well as a European arrest and surrender warrant for the same rebel defendant, Luis.” [sic] Puig i Gordi for the facts and crimes that may involve his involvement in criminal activities during the trial. The prosecutors’ request recalls that in the Puig case, the Supreme Court “held that contributing to the celebration of the illegalized referendum through actions detrimental to public assets and, in particular, through takeovers, was participation in the crime of embezzlement.” Payment of a portion based on the actual costs incurred.”
The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office points out that the changes to the criminal law adopted in December 2022 led Judge Llarena to issue an order on January 12 “redrafting the indictment against the above-mentioned defendant”. From this change, it emerged that alleged criminal liability continued to exist against Lluís Puig “since, as Minister of Culture, he could have assumed one of the five parts into which the payment of the order placed to the Unipost company was divided, so that.” “It will concern the distribution of the notifications of the appointments of members of the electoral tables (for the illegal 1-O referendum) as well as the notifications of the table in which each member of the census could vote.” In June, the Supreme Court upheld the criminal Prosecution of Puig – and also former adviser Antoni Comín and former President Carles Puigdemont – for serious embezzlement and disobedience.
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