Catalan president Carles Puigdemont would join 6 of his ministers in Estremera prison near Madrid if he were to be imprisoned after extradition and could have an individual cell if he asks for one, or he could share with one of his ministers.
The details were announced in the response sent today by Spain to the Belgian prosecutor, after Belgium had asked judge Carmen Lamela of the Naitonal Audience court for information about the Spanish legal and penal systems in advance of Puigdemont's appearance before a judge this Friday.
According to Spanish news agency EFE, prison service sources say that the letter says that Puigdemont and the male councillors with him in Brussels, Toni Comín and Lluís Puig would go to Estremera, 70 km (43 miles) from Madrid. Already sent there for preventive detention by Lamela are Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras and five other ministers.
Meanwhile, the women, Meritxell Serret and Clara Ponsatí, would go to a different prison in the autonomous community of Madrid, likely Alcalá Meco, where their female colleagues are already being held.
Spanish authorities also assure the Belgian prosecutor about the conditions in Estremera prison, which they describe as a very-advanced centre, opened in 2008, with installations better than the prisons of other European countries.
The Belgian prosecution service had asked the National Audience what conditions president Puigdemont and the ministers will find themselves in if the judge decides to extradite them. They specifically asked about how long their preventive detention would last and whether they would be imprisoned immediately or would declare first. They also asked about the dimensions of the cells, the quality of the food and about their access to showers and healthcare facilities.