Nicola Sturgeon pledges support for Clara Ponsatí

She and three other ministers joined deposed president Carles Puigdemont in fleeing for Belgium after the disputed independence referendum, but Dr Ponsatí has since moved to Scotland.

Before being minister, she was head of studies in the faculty of psychology at St Andrew's University, and went back to her old job a few weeks back.

Dr Ponsatí says she will appeal against the order, and her solicitor, Aamer Anwar, says the professor is determined to fight to avoid being extradited to Spain.

She is charged with 'violent rebellion' and 'misuse of public funds', given her role in helping to organise the referendum.

Dr Anwar said Dr Ponsatí, 61, was due to attend St Leonard's police station at 09.30 local time today (10.30 mainland Spain time) and would give a press conference just beforehand.

She was then due to appear before a judge in a preliminary hearing at 13.00 UK time (14.00 in mainland Spain) lasting between half an hour and an hour.

Dr Anwar would be requesting she be released with charges pending trial and that a date would be set for the case to decide whether or not she would be extradited.

The process could go on for several months, and Dr Ponsatí is said to be prepared to 'exhaust the full court hierarchy and all legal options' to enable her to stay in the UK.

Clara Ponsatí could be in the right region if she wants to avoid extradition: according to Dr Anwar, who is dean of Glasgow University, the former minister has the 'full support' of the Scottish public and the devolved Scottish government, led by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP.

Ms Sturgeon said on Sunday of Ponsatí's case: “The Scottish government supports Catalunya's right to decide its own future.

“The fact that our country is obliged to comply with the European arrest order does not change our opinion on this.”

Dr Ponsatí is, according to Anwar, 'distressed and very concerned' about 'the situation she is in'.

She had only been education minister in Catalunya from July 14, 2017, until the Spanish government applied Article 155 of the national Constitution which removed the region's autonomous rule and led to the automatic sacking of its Parliament en bloc – this was on October 28, meaning Ponsatí's job lasted less than four months.

She was head of studies in psychology and professor of economics and finance at St Andrew's until 2016 when she returned to her native region.