European Parliament votes to strip Catalan MEPs of immunity

European Parliament votes to strip Catalan MEPs of immunity

The European Parliament has voted to strip three Catalan MEPs wanted by Spanish prosecutors in connection with the 2017 independence referendum of their immunity from prosecution.

Spanish extradition requests for former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, former health minister Toni Comín and former education minister Clara Ponsatí were frozen on their election as MEPs in 2019.

All three were part of the Catalan cabinet which was removed by the Spanish government after organising an independence referendum in defiance of the Spanish courts and then declaring independence.

In a secret ballot, MEPs voted by 400 in favour to 248 against and 45 abstentions to lift Mr Puigdemont’s immunity, and then by 404 in favour to 247 against and 42 abstentions to lift Mr Comín and Ms Ponsatí’s immunity.

Ms Ponsatí lives in Scotland, where her lawyers have vowed to fight any extradition request, our sister publication Scottish Legal News reports.

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