Spain judge jails Catalan ministers, mulls leader’s arrest
MADRID — A Spanish judge jailed nine former members of Catalonia’s separatist government Thursday and was deliberating a possible international arrest warrant for the region’s ousted president, who remained in Belgium while the others appeared in a Madrid court for questioning about their efforts to break away from Spain.
Former President Carles Puigdemont and his 13-member Cabinet are being investigated for rebellion, sedition and embezzlement stemming from their pursuit of Catalan independence. The Spanish government removed them from office on Oct. 27 and they were summoned to appear in Spain’s National Court on Thursday.
After the nine Catalan Cabinet members who showed up were questioned, a judge sent eight of them to jail without bail. One was ordered held in lieu of 50,000 euros ($58,300) in bail. The seven men and two women were taken from the court in police vans hours later and assigned to prisons in the Madrid area.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Catalan towns to condemn the pre-charge detentions, which fellow separatist politicians and elected officials criticized as an attack on ideas.