The Spanish judiciary has asked for the temporary release of the former Catalan vice-government leader Oriol Junqueras to take up his post as MEP. The Supreme Court in Madrid should allow Junqueras to travel to the seat of the European Parliament, among other things, to complete the relevant formalities, the chief indictment said today.
The European Court of Justice (CJEU) ruled two weeks ago that Spain had illegally refused Junqueras’s mandate. The separatist politician had already enjoyed parliamentary immunity when he was sentenced to 13 years in October for the controversial referendum on independence in 2017.
The chief prosecution’s demand now does not mean that Junqueras can hope for permanent release – on the contrary. Rather, he is to take up the post of deputy, so that the Spanish judiciary can ask the European Parliament „as soon as possible“ to waive his parliamentary immunity.
