"Surreal scenes"

Major manhunt “cage” for Puigdemont in Barcelona

Carles Puigdemont on his arrival in Spain

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who is wanted on a warrant and who appeared in Barcelona in the morning after almost seven years in exile, has disappeared again. The Spanish police have now launched a major manhunt under the code name "Cage".

Roadblocks have been set up on all major roads leading out of the Mediterranean metropolis. Police officers checked every vehicle trying to leave the city, reported the state broadcaster RTVE. In some cases, car trunks were checked and motorcyclists had to remove their helmets.

A white car was being searched for, reported the newspaper "El País", which spoke of surreal scenes. "I can confirm that Puigdemont has not yet been arrested," said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior of the Catalonia region. "I can confirm that roadblocks have been set up to find him."

Back after seven years in exile
Puigdemont emerged in the morning in the center of Barcelona after almost seven years in exile. Surrounded by leading politicians from his Junts party, he walked through the streets unmolested, greeting people left and right. The police, who were on site with strong security forces, did not intervene, although there is an arrest warrant for the 61-year-old. Puigdemont had secretly fled the country in a car after an illegal independence referendum in 2017 and the subsequent failed secession.

Puigdemont then gave a short speech in front of several thousand supporters in the immediate vicinity of the regional parliament, where the election of socialist Salvador Illa as Catalonia's new prime minister was about to take place. "Today I have come here to remind you that we are still here because we have no right to give up," he said, referring to his fight for Catalonia's independence from Spain.

"We have no interest in living in a country where the amnesty laws do not grant amnesty," Puigdemont added. He was referring to the refusal of the judiciary to apply the amnesty for separatists to him.

Meanwhile, the session to elect Illa began in parliament. Illa would be the first regional head of government in Catalonia for years to advocate for the wealthy region to remain part of Spain. Puigdemont had announced that he wanted to take part in the parliamentary session. That was his democratic right as an elected representative. But instead of going to parliament after his speech, he disappeared into the crowd. According to media reports, the police had concentrated on preventing Puigdemont from entering parliament. Even tunnels under the parliament building were checked.

In hiding after speech 
However, Puigdemont could no longer be seen on television shortly after the speech and Spanish media puzzled over where he could have gone. The leading members of his party walked quietly and wordlessly through the crowd towards parliament, but Puigdemont had already gone into hiding. The fact that he is facing arrest despite an amnesty law for separatists is due to the controversial interpretation of the law by the judiciary.

The amnesty law excludes cases of personal enrichment from immunity from prosecution. Although Puigdemont is not accused of putting public money in his own pocket, the investigating judge Pablo Llarena accuses him of personal enrichment. The argument is that he used public funds instead of his own money for his illegal political aims in the 2017 independence referendum, which is tantamount to personal enrichment.

The socialist Salvador Illa

(Bild: APA/AFP/Josep LAGO)

Illa's party emerged as the strongest force in the early election in May, but needs the support of the left-wing separatist party ERC, which was achieved through concessions on financial issues and the promotion of the Catalan language. However, if there is no new government by August 25, there will have to be another election. In his candidacy speech in parliament, he promised to strengthen Catalonia and advocated the full application of the amnesty to separatists.

If Puigdemont is arrested, the minority government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez must fear that the current majority procurer in the Madrid parliament will leave. Puigdemont's Junts party has so far supported Sanchez's government in the national parliament in Madrid.

The far-right party Vox immediately made serious accusations against the Catalan authorities. "We had to see how the state allowed this criminal to hold a rally," Secretary General Ignacio Garriga told reporters outside parliament. "We don't understand why he hasn't been arrested yet."