Puigdemont judgment in ten days

brussels - The deposed Catalan former prime minister Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers will be informed next Thursday whether Belgium will hand them over to Spain. Then the council chamber of the court in Brussels speaks out, the Public Prosecutor and the lawyers of the quintet report.

The lawyers tried to convince the judges on Monday that the extradition is not lawful, partly because there is a risk that human rights will be violated. Madrid wants to try the former members of the government for their role in proclaiming the independence of Catalonia and has issued European arrest warrants for this. They are charged with rebellion, abuse of government money and incitement.

The Brussels Public Prosecution Service had previously said that the arrest warrants are enforceable and the extradition can go ahead. If the judges agree to this next week, the Catalans will almost certainly appeal. This means that they are still in Belgium at the time of the new elections in Catalonia on 21 December.

The verdict is foreseen on December 14 at 09.00 hours, the OM informed.