Public prosecutors from Spain's Supreme Court this Thursday plan to ask judge Pablo Llarena to reactivate the European Arrest Warrants (EAWs) against exiled former Catalan ministers Toni Comín, Lluís Puig and Clara Ponsatí, sources have told Europa Press. They are also considering asking Switzerland again to extradite political party ERC's secretary general Marta Rovira, this time for sedition instead of rebellion. That is for the future, however, being more complicated as the EAW system cannot be used in Switzerland.
After the Supreme Court announced its verdicts earlier this month in the trial of the exiles' colleagues, Llarena issued a new EAW for president Carles Puigdemont, but not initially for any of the others. Yesterday, a Belgian judge adjourned the next hearing in Puigdemont's case until December. Prosecutors in Brussels want him extradited on charges of sedition and misuse of public funds. He is currently free without having to post a bail bond.
For the moment, prosecutors are reportedly not looking to request the extradition of Meritxell Serret, former Catalan agriculture minister, from Belgium, nor that of former CUP spokesperson Anna Gabriel from Switzerland. In the former case, it's related to the verdicts against Meritxell Borràs, Carles Mundó and Santiago Vila. The three have been fined and banned from public office for a short time, only being convicted of disobedience; none of them face any further time in prison. Gabriel was only ever charged with disobedience.
When it comes to Comín, Ponsatí and Puig, the situation is different, as they face reportedly stronger cases for misuse of public funds. Prosecutors will look to extradite the former two to face charges of sedition and misuse of public funds, the second charge relating to premises under the control of their respective departments being used during voting in the 2017 referendum. In the case of Lluís Puig, former culture minister, the charges will be misuse of public funds and disobedience. For that reason, the lack of a sedition charge, there's greater doubt as to whether Llarena will agree to the prosecutors' request.