Court backs Catalan amnesty, while Puigdemont’s return remains legally and politically unsettled

Spain’s Constitutional Court has backed applying the amnesty law to Catalan pro-independence leaders, establishing a legal doctrine through a 7–5 ruling involving former minister Dolors Bassa.¹Backed by 1 sourcescatalannews.com The Constitutional Court has notified the Supreme Court of its order concerning the amnesty of embezzlement charges against Carles Puigdemont and other leaders of the Catalan independence process.¹Backed by 1 sourceselconstitucional.es

The ruling has been presented as clearing a major legal obstacle to Puigdemont’s return to Spain, and a report by Democrata says Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena nullified the national arrest warrant against him after the Constitutional Court’s decision.¹Backed by 1 sourcesdemocrata.es However, another report says Puigdemont’s return has stalled over the amnesty ruling and election-related optics, indicating that the court’s decision has not produced an uncontested or immediate return.¹Backed by 1 sourcesrusspain.com Esquerra Republicana leader Oriol Junqueras welcomed the amnesty as a way to end what he called repression while stressing that the underlying political conflict has not disappeared, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reportedly ruled out meeting Puigdemont.¹Backed by 1 sourcesen.ara.cat