German justice does not rule out extraditing Puigdemont for rebellion

USPA NEWS - The German Court that on April 6 refused to extradite to Spain the former president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, and ordered his release does not rule out modifying his criteria and handing the political independence to Spain for the crime of rebellion. But it demands that the Prosecutor's Office request it and that new evidence must be presented.

The spokeswoman of the Territorial Court of Schleswig-Holstein, Franke Holmer, clarified on Thursday that the crime of rebellion, rejected in first instance by the Court and that supposes the main accusation of the Spanish judges against the ex president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, "is not ruled out", although he warned that the Court expects "the next step" of the General Prosecutor's Office of the territory.

Holmer said the Court "is not bound" to what it stated in its April 6 ruling and explained that "when the Attorney General's letter comes in here, the Court will again consider whether the extradition is legally admissible." The spokeswoman of the Court indicated that, "if new facts do not appear, it is not possible to hope that the Court pronounces of another way." On April 3, in The Hague, a meeting of Spanish prosecutors with German prosecutors, to try to unify criteria on the Puigdemont case.

Spanish prosecutors presented new evidence to their German counterparts, who from the outset had accepted the proposals of the Supreme Court of Spain and opposed the freedom of Puigdemont and defend their delivery to Spain. Predictably, during the next few days they will present to the German Territorial Court a new request for extradition to Spain and they will request the arrest of Puigdemont, who is prohibited from leaving German territory and must appear weekly in the Court.