Scottish justice waives extradition of Catalan libertarian Clara Ponsati

Scottish justice on Thursday, 26 August abandoned the extradition process of Catalan libertarian and MEP Clara Ponsati, who was claimed by Spain for the 2017 secession attempt, noting that her move to Belgium now has jurisdiction. Not there.

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,Court has no jurisdiction in this matterJudge Nigel Ross said, ending several years of proceedings in Scotland regarding this figure of Catalonia’s secession attempt in 2017. The judge pointed out that the Scottish justice was notified last May by 64-year-old Clara Ponsati, who now lives in Belgium, following her election to European. Parliament and therefore it was not possible to extradite him from Scotland.

Parliament removed his immunity

Former education minister in the Catalan government, Clara Ponsati is accused of “treasonby Spain after participating in the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia in 2017. Professor of economics at the Scottish University of St Andrews, she was subject to an extradition process investigated by the Scottish Justice. But she has been sitting in the European Parliament since February 1, 2020, the day the United Kingdom left the European Union, following the reallocation of 27 of the 73 British seats to member states.

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In Thursday’s hearing,The court had already guessed that Clara Ponsati was no longer under Scottish jurisdiction and decided that she should be released, the extradition process finally coming to an end.», at the end of the hearing welcomed his lawyer Aamer Anwar. Clara Ponsati, however, is claimed by Spain. In March, the European Parliament voted to remove his immunity, like Catalan separatists Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comin. For the latter two, the extradition request is already in the hands of the Belgian courts.

Catalonia’s attempt to secession caused a deep political crisis in Spain, which the new coalition government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to attempt to resolve through negotiations.