Finnish police receive extradition order for Puigdemont

Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium in October along with four of his ministers, was initially placed under a European arrest order, and went voluntarily to the police in Brussels.

But the then Supreme Court judge in charge of the disputed independence referendum case, Carmen Lamela, revoked the order and replaced it with a national arrest warrant, meaning Puigdemont and his ministers were safe as long as they did not return to Spain.

Since then, Puigdemont has been in Switzerland giving talks at a human rights conference, then went straight to Finland where he was invited to give a seminar at Helsinki University on the situation in Catalunya.

He was due to return to Belgium, where he has a rented house in Waterloo, tonight (Saturday) but his plans have been thwarted by the court order.

The former regional president's solicitor, Jaume Alonso Cuevillas, said in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio: “Puigdemont has never run away from the Spanish justice system. He was in Finland to take part in conferences and to internationalise the sovereignty process.

“He has always made himself completely available to the justice system when summoned, as he did in Belgium when he handed himself in to the police.

“There is no express verdict which has declared Puigdemont to be in rebellion [contempt of court], and a European arrest order issued against him was later withdrawn.”

Alonso Cuevillas said judge Llarena was 'taking people hostage by firing shots in the air' when 'all everyone else saw was a peaceful demonstration', referring to the protest outside the regional economy ministry building which landed its organisers, politicians Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, in jail.

“For as long as things continue in this vein, it is going to be very difficult for [Puigdemont] to be able to return to Spain, and his intention, therefore, is to remain in Belgium,” Alonso Cuevillas explained in the radio interview.

He said international courts were 'seeing more clearly by the day' that in Spain, 'minimum guarantees of safety are not being respected', and predicted that the Spanish State could end up being sanctioned 'several times' and on 'various charges'.

Finnish police confirmed today that they had received the international arrest warrant calling for Puigdemont's being sent home for trial.

“Spain is seeking the extradition of one of its citizens who is currently in Finland; the police have informed the prosecution and started the necessary exchange of information with Spanish authorities,” says superintendant of the Criminal Investigation Service in Finland, Hannu Kautto.