German prosecutors urge ex-Catalan leader’s extradition

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - German prosecutors announced on Friday that they have filed a fresh request to extradite former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to Spain.

Public Prosecutor’s Office in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, where Puigdemont was detained in March, have concluded that Spain’s extradition request was admissible.

“The material delivered by the Spanish authorities is not inconsistent, but it clearly proves that violent clashes on election day in Catalonia can (also) be attributed to the person sought,” prosecutors said, in a written statement.

They claimed that Puigdemont’s actions at that time were compatible with the serious breach of public peace, which is also a crime under German law.

In April, the Higher Regional Court in Schleswig, ruled out extraditing Puigdemont on charges of “rebellion”, highlighting that it was not compatible with the German law.

The court ordered Puigdemont’s conditional release at that time and announced that it would seek more information on Spain’s extradition request and accusations against him.

The separatist leader was arrested on March 25 in northern Germany, after Spanish authorities reactivated a European arrest warrant on charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.

The 55-year-old politician led a parliamentary session last year that saw separatist lawmakers vote for the region of Catalonia to declare independence from Spain.

He and 12 other separatist leaders were officially charged with rebellion.