A Spanish Supreme Court judge has issued an international arrest warrant for fugitive ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont following the sentencing of 12 of his pro-Catalonia independence colleagues in Spain for their role in a 2017 secession push led by him.
Judge Pablo Llarena issued the request on charges of sedition and misuse of public funds, the same charges for which the nine received jail convictions on Monday.
Mr Puigdemont and several others fled to Belgium in October 2017 when they were summoned to appear before court to answer questions about the secession push and an illegal October 1 independence referendum.
Spain issued a first warrant back in 2017 but later withdrew it after a German court ruled that Mr Puigdemont could not be extradited to Spain for rebellion, one of the initial charges.
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