Ousted Catalan Leader Turns Himself In To Belgian Police | Zero Hedge
Description: Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and four ex-ministers on Sunday turned themselves in to Belgian authorities to start the process of their possible extradition to Spain.
Keywords: Zero Hedge,Zerohedge,Finance,Economics,Markets,Politics,Analysis,Belgium,Newspaper
Date: 2017-11-05T00:00:00Z

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# Ousted Catalan Leader Turns Himself In To Belgian Police

by Tyler Durden
Nov 5, 2017 10:22 AM
0
SHARES

Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and four ex-ministers on Sunday turned themselves in to Belgian authorities to start the process of their possible extradition to Spain. Puigdemont was accompanied by four other former Catalan officials who are also wanted by Spanish authorities after they fled to Belgium last week after their removed from power by Spanish authorities as part of an extraordinary crackdown to impede the region’s illegal declaration of independence.

According to AP, a spokesman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office, Gilles Dejemeppe, said the five presented themselves to federal police and have been in custody since 9 a.m. (0800 GMT; 3 a.m. EST). He said that they have not been arrested and that Puigdemont and the four ex-ministers will be heard by an investigative judge Sunday afternoon.

The judge will have to decide what the next steps are within 24 hours. They could vary from arrest and imprisonment to conditional release. On Saturday, Belgian federal prosecutors said that they were studying the warrants and that they had shared them with city counterparts in Brussels.

The ousted officials and Puigdemont are wanted in Spain on charges of rebellion, sedition and misappropriation of public funds as part of their two-year bid to see Catalonia secede from Spain. On Friday, Spain issued a formal request to Belgium for extradition.

Also on Friday Puigdemont suggested he will fight extradition as he doesn’t believe he will get a fair trial in Spain; he also said that he was willing to campaign out of Belgium for the Catalan elections set to take place on Dec. 21. According to Belgian law, his legal battle against extradition can last up to two months.

Addressing Puigdemont's concern, a Belgian government official said on Sunday that the international community has to keep a close eye on Spain to make sure that ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont gets fair legal treatment in Madrid.

> Belgian Vice Premier and Interior Minister Jan Jambon told the VTM network that “I am just questioning how an EU member state can go this far — and I am asking myself where Europe is to have an opinion on this.”

And speaking of what now appears to be certain snap elections in Catalonia, an opinion poll published by Barcelona’s La Vanguardia newspaper forecasts a tight electoral race between parties for and against the independence of Catalonia from the rest of Spain. Pro-secession parties held a majority of 72 of 135 seats in the Catalan Parliament before it was dissolved by Spanish authorities as part of a crackdown after it had voted for a declaration of independence. Spanish authorities then called for a snap election for Catalonia on Dec. 21.

The new poll predicts that the three pro-secession parties would win between 66 and 69 seats in December. Sixty-eight seats are needed for a majority, which means that while narrow, a pro-secession vote would mean that the ongoing drama is set to continue indefinitely.

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JustPrintMoreDuh Nov 5, 2017 10:25 AM

Pussy

Cheka_Mate JustPrintMoreDuh Nov 5, 2017 10:48 AM

"Give me liberty or give me a cell in a Belgian torture dungeon."

Carles Puigdemont

MagicHandPuppet Cheka_Mate Nov 5, 2017 10:53 AM

Bow down before your ruler, Slaves.

Or, resist and demand liberty and independence. The choice is yours.

MANvsMACHINE MagicHandPuppet Nov 5, 2017 10:55 AM

Do you mean to tell me that this guy wasn't smart enough to rent a white Ford Bronco and allow the police to chase him for a few hours before surrendering?

He's a rank amateur.

Joe A MANvsMACHINE Nov 5, 2017 11:01 AM

If you drive around in Belgium for a few hours then soon you would find yourself in another country.

abyssinian Joe A Nov 5, 2017 11:03 AM

This loser is the biggest clown on this planet! biggest!

Juggernaut x2 abyssinian Nov 5, 2017 11:19 AM

Kneel before ZOG

auricle Juggernaut x2 Nov 5, 2017 11:25 AM

Excuse me, shouldn't he be home forming Catalonia's government and military?

Crazy Or Not MagicHandPuppet Nov 5, 2017 11:14 AM

He had to simultaniously educate the population while taking on the State of Spain, and a hemoraging EU resistant to change.
The legal injustices to come may just be enough to build the resistance. Either way I feel more is to come on this.

343 Guilty Spark Crazy Or Not Nov 5, 2017 12:14 PM

That was my thought exactly on why they did turned themselves in. He will get better results in showing how tyranical the system is by doing this.

Crazy Or Not 343 Guilty Spark Nov 5, 2017 1:15 PM

>...He will get better results in showing how tyranical the system is by doing this.
"IF" he has 1 political friend outside of Spain, a shit hot Lawyer or both....
The EU is backed into a corner, having held itself to be a bastion of human rights, critic of failed regimes and supporter of downtrodden minorities...its walking dead pigeons are coming back to Brussels to roost. The tricky part is he has to stay in open court outside of Spain to drop all these stinking turds Farrange style in front of the EU edifice for all to see and comment on, to show Spain and its EU backers for the cunts they are (further mobilizing the Catalans in doing so). Rotting in Madrid gets him nowhere.

WallHoo Crazy Or Not Nov 5, 2017 1:48 PM

Rich people in europe feeeeeeeel european and they want to be part of the EU.

Obviously being in the elite but also being suckled down in one country without youre free movement,international money and 2-3 passports is not fun.

The catalonian movement was never against the EU of course.

And by the way some people in the left thing that they can gain independence "peacefully".Yea...tell that to the americans,the greeks,thes serbs and many others...

And please can someone tell me how the fuck are you going to declare independence without your own currency and army??

The EU is not backed to any corner,i cannot see how is the EU affected if regions of countries form new smaller countries but remain loyal to brussels...

Crazy Or Not WallHoo Nov 5, 2017 2:41 PM

Countries in EU need open trade to survive, (yes its a ponzi/FIAT Debt etc) ... one battle at a time. It's a movement that includes waking up 90% of 7.5Million. Step by Step.
Peaceful revolutions in Europe have already happened - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Revolution
Though in truth, the inspiration came more out of the 2011 Arab Spring in Egypt.

The Catalans see it more as a civil divorce
EU is backed into a corner on HUMAN RIGHTS Legislation:

The referendum in Crimea was condemned as “illegal” and dictatorial while a violent attack against freedom of expression of millions of people living inside the EU gets a pass.

Catalans are asking: If Slovenia and Croatia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Baltic republics, not to mention tiny Luxembourg, Cyprus and Malta, can be EU members, why not Catalonia?

The original purpose of the EU came from WWII to overcome nation-states’ deficiencies by integration and trade to prevent future European conflicts, yet it sits on its hands while conflict brews within its own mechanism.

I think some very interesting days in court are due to come - which may not bring independence but likely will show Spain to be governed by a bunch of peasants who got their hands on the treasury cash box. And perhaps from that some realizations and a better deal may come.

In Spain the Basques are now supporting the Catalans and marching against the imposition of article 155. Wednesday there is a strike in Catalonia, which will hurt IBEX if this spreads to Basque region the IBEX 35 will be taking more hits.
Germany and EU ECB only have so much tolerance for Rajoy's fuck-up in getting to this point in the first place. Catalonian politicians announced before the 2014 elections that they would go for independence. Rajoy did nothing, no negociations, no meetings, no new agreements. Just sat back and allowed it to grow. He's hung his future on this now.

There's still some legs in this yet, and more to come.

https://www.rt.com/news/408856-basques-rally-catalonia-independence/

WallHoo Crazy Or Not Nov 5, 2017 3:03 PM

Well theres a differnce between social revolutions and independence revolutions.The arab spring was obviously organised by outside for regime change ,apart from the head nothing else changed.

Croatians fought a war to get there.

Czechoslovakia was a forced union,they just seperated from one another.Let alone that most of these where made AFTER the fall of the soviet union.

Cyprus?Crumbling british empire.and on and on...

Personally i aproove the catalan independence movement,they are a nation without a country and they want a country where they live.So its fine by me...

Its just that in orded to suceed you need some basic staff.Like a gorvement which they already have,a currency and an army or at least some basic fire power...

Crazy Or Not WallHoo Nov 5, 2017 3:41 PM

You can be right, the thinking (as I understand it) is that they see it as a political situation within the European framework, and it has a political solution.
Belgium Interior Minister is offering some support, as is a Belgium Ex- Prime Minister. Both are saying Spain has gone too far in its responses, and is behaving like a Fascist State. We will see where it goes, perhaps it will get to snipers on rooftops, perhaps not. I think the later.

Belgian Vice Premier and Interior Minister Jan Jambon told the VTM network that "I am just questioning how an EU member state can go this far — and I am asking myself where Europe is to have an opinion on this."

The Belgian government has been one of the most critical voices about Spain's treatment of the Catalan crisis and condemned the violence from the central authorities that accompanied the Catalan referendum on Oct 1. Jambon said that "you have Spanish law but also international law, the European Human Rights Treaty and such things and they come ahead of member state law. So I think the international community must keep a close watch."

Kamehameha Crazy Or Not Nov 5, 2017 1:50 PM

Good thinking. George Washington should have turned himself in.

Crazy Or Not Kamehameha Nov 5, 2017 3:43 PM

Maybe we should wait until nightfall on Christmas Eve and sail up to Brussels and cross the river Senne and attack the EU Headquaters? I think that tactic should still work after 241 years? Let me get my Musket and give Napoleon a call. ;))

SoDamnMad Cheka_Mate Nov 5, 2017 10:54 AM

He would make a good martyr

tmosley Nov 5, 2017 10:29 AM

Cucked to death.

DEMIZEN Nov 5, 2017 10:30 AM

they may take our lives but they will never take our... ah fuck it. lets go bowling.

SoDamnMad DEMIZEN Nov 5, 2017 10:54 AM

That's a Polish joke.

chunga Nov 5, 2017 10:31 AM

We got enough of our own problems. Looks like Mueller is getting ready to arrest Flynn. This is war.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mueller-has-enough-evidence-bring-c...

Whoa Dammit Nov 5, 2017 10:31 AM

We already know that the pro-secessionists will win 67 seats, not the required 68. Missed it by this much.

Justin Case Whoa Dammit Nov 5, 2017 10:42 AM

Close only counts in hand grenades

HRClinton Justin Case Nov 5, 2017 11:29 AM

And Cunnylingus. Close counts in Cunnylingus.

Cum to find out. That's the oral argument I'm making.

(My current count is: Close counts in the game of Horseshoes, Bacci ball, bombs & grenades, and cunnylingus)

Justin Case Nov 5, 2017 10:41 AM

They are going to be examples for other brave hearts that try and go against TPTB

TeaClipper Nov 5, 2017 10:45 AM

This moron is about to find out the EU state and the Spanish government are one, handing himself into the EU state aparatus is not going to save his dumb ass.

How long will these retarded left wing fucks keep sleepwalking into the globalist nightmare.

SoDamnMad TeaClipper Nov 5, 2017 10:56 AM

We will get the "snackbar" team to get him out of jail. "You bastards give him up or we will cut lose 1,000 trucks."

illuminatus Nov 5, 2017 10:41 AM

Democracy? What's that? And god damn all the police, military and alphabet soup of agencies that are in employ to crush it wherever it tries to emerge.

zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 10:47 AM

The mayor of the city of antwerp , who is the most influential politician in belgium, posted this story to twitter about what the spanish did to his city in 1576.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Antwerp

In dutch from rhe news : http://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20171104_03169487/de-wever-herdenkt-spaanse-fur...

Savvy zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 10:59 AM

Mighty nice of him to do the Spaniards a favor then. Did he do it single-handed?

zeroDirkHedge Savvy Nov 5, 2017 11:09 AM

I dont understand your question/remark.

This mayor is NVA party leader, this party also wants independence for the flemish region from belgium. They don’t like the way europe is handling this. If this had happened in hungary or so.........

Joe A zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 11:14 AM

They did this all over the low countries. But in the end they got their asses whooped. That defeat stuck in the mind of the Spaniards for a long time. They dreaded the thought of a "second Flanders" as an a place of "endless war, suffering and death". They lost many soldiers in the low countries during the eighty year war. They never really recovered and lost an empire. This haunted the Spanish for many years after the war ended.

So it is a bit ironic that it now plays out in Flanders (or in this case Belgium) again. But I don't think it will haunt the Spanish this time. Or perhaps it will, who knows? It all depends how badly the Catalans want their home country and how much they are willing to put up a fight.

zeroDirkHedge Joe A Nov 5, 2017 11:19 AM

No people suffered as much as the flemish.
We have been occupied by the romans, the spanish, the french, the dutch, the germans twice. I probably forgot some. And now by the eu nwo.
I should probably add the roman catholic church to this list, now the muzzies are here......
If only we were jewish, then we could collect some money on this.

Joe A zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 11:28 AM

Ironically, you got the Jews that were kicked out of Spain after the Reconquista. Another part went to Amsterdam.

Yes, the Belgae and Nervii were a hard nut to crack. Julius Caesar already complained about you guys.

No Zbig Deal Joe A Nov 5, 2017 2:37 PM

Been making great beers since then too. And still are.

Joe A No Zbig Deal Nov 5, 2017 3:19 PM

The best beers are made in Belgium.

ThuleNord zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 12:03 PM

It’s a tragedy. I barely consider Belgium a distinct country. Internationalist pillaging. The intruders try, but they don’t look quite right walking around distinct western skylines. Jews, Turks, Africans all trying to pull Belgium apart. They’re forever outsiders and the resentment will never fade until white Belgium culture is stomped out.

shovelhead zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 11:15 AM

Send in Jean Claude Van Damm to beat up some Spanish girls.

Pernicious Gold... zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 12:31 PM

I wondered whether the Spanish occupation was the reason he chose Belgium.

Maybe he should change his name to Egmont. What does that mean in Catalán? On second thought, no. The Cataláns, lowlanders and Germans would never forgive an act of cultural appropriation.

bshirley1968 Nov 5, 2017 10:48 AM

All by design. This guy is living large 3 months from now....no one is the wiser.

Savvy bshirley1968 Nov 5, 2017 11:04 AM

What design?

bshirley1968 Savvy Nov 5, 2017 2:05 PM

They gave them a leader that would throw them under the bus and then walk away.

Their push for independence got co-opted from the top down. This guy and his team set this up for failure. There was no plan in place for successful secession. He cheered them to a vote and exited stage left to Brussels. This guy will never do time.

Joe A Nov 5, 2017 11:03 AM

I don't know much about the Belgium legal system but perhaps for him it would have been smarter to turn himself into a town in the Flemish part of the country and get first a local judge to preside over his case. Now the federal judge will sit over it.

zeroDirkHedge Joe A Nov 5, 2017 11:15 AM

The flemish party NVA is in the federal government. I am ammusing the federal gov has jurisdiction over international arrest warrants.

This could make our government fall, the belgium solution will probably be to take severall months until after the catalan election to come to a conclusion on the extradiction request.

Joe A zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 11:23 AM

Who knows how this will play out and if there were any behind the scene dealings with the NVA and Puigdemont. I have the impression many Flemish want out of Belgium and have their own country. Perhaps you can elaborate on sentiments in Flanders (using Flanders here to the whole of Vlaanderen, Limburg, etc.)?

Perhaps your government will fall. Perhaps the NVA will use this to make the government fall. I remember that last time you were without a government for over a year. So that could drag it on. Also shows that you don't need a government for a country to function (as disfunctional as Belgium is).

zeroDirkHedge zeroDirkHedge Nov 5, 2017 1:49 PM

A decision by tomorrow morning : ( was on the radio news )
1) put in jail
2) release under conditions
3) refuse spanish request

I predict option 2

moorewasthebestbond Nov 5, 2017 11:10 AM

The capture of Jefferson Davis was no less dramatic.

This is bullshit.

mtanimal Nov 5, 2017 11:13 AM

FFS - not even the stones to make a run for it. He should have sold out much sooner if his whole strategy was declare-and-fold.

Maybe he wants some quiet time to write a book. Mi Pais.

spanish inquisition Nov 5, 2017 11:15 AM

What is the mechanism to declare yourself a free and independent state? If all declarations are illegal, then you are a slave.

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