The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has stated that the former president of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont should return to Spain following the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the amnesty law. In his view, it is “truly difficult to understand” that the law is still not being applied immediately after the high European court concluded that it does not violate community law.
During his statements, Puente maintained that if he were in Puigdemont’s situation, he would return to the country immediately. “If I were Mr. Puigdemont, I would stand firm in Spain today. Without any doubt,” he assured, while considering that this move would represent “a gesture of political leadership.”
The minister argued that there are “unsustainable” situations that, in his opinion, “must be confronted.” In that sense, he added that he would even assume a possible arrest: “I would stand firm in Spain today. And let them arrest me and take me to prison”. However, he acknowledged that the Government would be obliged to proceed with that arrest if there were an active court order.
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Puente also defended that if both the Constitutional Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union have ruled on the amnesty law and it has been approved by Parliament, it makes no sense that Puigdemont cannot move freely around Spain. “Let’s all blush once and for all”, he stated, before concluding that this would be the decision he would make.
Although he clarifies: “I am not Puigdemont”.
The minister’s statements provoked a quick reaction from the secretary general of Junts, Jordi Turull, who responded to the minister through X with a brief message in Catalan: “Quanta misèria i frivolitat” (“How much misery and frivolity”).
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