Spain arrests 8 former members of Catalan government

Eight members of the former Catalan government have been remanded in custody awaiting trial, after they appeared in court in Madrid.

Former members of the dissolved autonomous government in Catalonia appear at the Spanish Supreme Court on November 2. Photo: Independent.

Spain's Supreme Court on November 2 ordered the arrest of eight members of the dissolved government in the autonomous region of Catalonia to serve an investigation into allegations of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds, BBC reported.

Among those arrested was former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras. A ninth person was granted bail after resigning ahead of a vote in the Catalan parliament on October 27 to declare Catalonia's independence from Spain.

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, in a televised speech from a secret location in Belgium, condemned the arrests as "a violation of basic democratic principles" and "demanded the release of the government members and the deputy president".

Earlier, Mr. Puigdemont and four other members of the Catalan government left Spain for Belgium. Despite court summons, Mr. Puigdemont and the former officials refused to return home and requested to be questioned in Belgium.

Mr Puigdemont's lawyer said the current situation in Spain was "not good" and his client wanted to stay away but pledged to cooperate with the court.

Spanish prosecutors are asking the court to issue EU-wide arrest warrants for Mr Puigdemont and members of the government who have left Spain.

The entire Catalan government was dismissed by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after the autonomous region declared independence. The region is scheduled to hold elections on December 21. If the court issues an arrest warrant for Mr Puigdemont, the politician will no longer be able to run in the upcoming election.

According to VNE