Spain's top criminal court on
Tuesday (Oct 31) summoned Catalonia's axed separatist leader for
questioning, hours after he appeared in Brussels insisting he remained
the "legitimate president" of a region now under direct rule from
Madrid.\
The National Audience in Madrid, which deals with major criminal cases, summoned Carles Puigdemont and 13 other former members of his administration, dismissed by Spain's central government last week, for Thursday and Friday.
The 14 are then set to be placed under formal investigation.
On Monday, Spain's chief prosecutor said he was seeking charges of rebellion - punishable by up to 30 years behind bars - sedition and misuse of public funds.
But the 54-year-old Puigdemont is in Brussels, where he surfaced after reportedly driving hundreds of kilometres to Marseille in France and taking a plane to the Belgian capital.
At a packed and chaotic news conference at the Brussels Press Club earlier on Tuesday, Puigdemont said he was there "for safety purposes and freedom" and to "explain the Catalan problem in the institutional heart of Europe."
"We want to denounce the politicisation of the Spanish justice system, its lack of impartiality, its pursuing of ideas not crimes, and to explain to the world the Spanish state's serious democratic deficiencies," he said.
He denied that he intended to claim asylum but said he and several other former ministers who travelled with him would return only if they have guarantees that legal proceedings would be impartial.
If Puigdemont and his former ministers fail to appear in court as requested, Spanish prosecutors could order their arrest.
And if they are still in Belgium when that happens, Spain could issue an international arrest warrant.
Read more: In Belgium for 'safety', axed Catalan leader is summoned to Spain court - Channel NewsAsia
The National Audience in Madrid, which deals with major criminal cases, summoned Carles Puigdemont and 13 other former members of his administration, dismissed by Spain's central government last week, for Thursday and Friday.
The 14 are then set to be placed under formal investigation.
On Monday, Spain's chief prosecutor said he was seeking charges of rebellion - punishable by up to 30 years behind bars - sedition and misuse of public funds.
But the 54-year-old Puigdemont is in Brussels, where he surfaced after reportedly driving hundreds of kilometres to Marseille in France and taking a plane to the Belgian capital.
At a packed and chaotic news conference at the Brussels Press Club earlier on Tuesday, Puigdemont said he was there "for safety purposes and freedom" and to "explain the Catalan problem in the institutional heart of Europe."
"We want to denounce the politicisation of the Spanish justice system, its lack of impartiality, its pursuing of ideas not crimes, and to explain to the world the Spanish state's serious democratic deficiencies," he said.
He denied that he intended to claim asylum but said he and several other former ministers who travelled with him would return only if they have guarantees that legal proceedings would be impartial.
If Puigdemont and his former ministers fail to appear in court as requested, Spanish prosecutors could order their arrest.
And if they are still in Belgium when that happens, Spain could issue an international arrest warrant.
The National Audience also gave Puigdemont and
his former ministers three days to pay a combined deposit against
potential penalties of €6.2 million (US$7.2 million).
Read more: In Belgium for 'safety', axed Catalan leader is summoned to Spain court - Channel NewsAsia
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