MADRID, 21 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The magistrate of the Supreme Court (TS) Pablo Llarena has rejected the appeals presented both by the defenses and by the accusations against the order by which he confirmed the prosecution of the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont for the crimes of disobedience and aggravated embezzlement, after reviewing his initial decision in light of the reform that repealed sedition and modified embezzlement.
Puigdemont accused Llarena of ignoring the penal reform while both the Prosecutor’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office asked to add to these two crimes – disobedience and aggravated embezzlement – the new crime of aggravated public disorder.
In a resolution dated January 12, Llarena eliminated the crime of sedition from the prosecution against Puigdemont, but maintained the crime of embezzlement –which sets penalties of 4 to 12 years in prison and 10 to 20 years of disqualification– and included that of disobedience –which does not contemplate prison, but disqualification from 6 months to 2 years–. In addition, he annulled the Euro-warrant issued against the independence leader, although he decided to maintain the national search and capture order.
