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German state prosecutors call for extradition of Puigdemont to Spain

(Xinhua)    07:16, May 23, 2018

BERLIN, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chief Public Prosecution Office of Schleswig-Holstein is calling for the extradition of ex-Catalan governor Carles Puigdemont to Spain, the prosecutors told press on Tuesday.

The office said that it was in the process of preparing a legal request to the Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court (OLG) to transfer Puigdemont from Germany to Spain where he has been charged with "rebellion" and "embezzlement."

Spanish judicial authorities accused Puigdemont of having illegally held a referendum on Catalan independence last October, as well as misappropriating 1.5 million euros (1.8 million U.S. dollars) in public funds to organize the vote.

In order to escape prosecution, the former governor of Catalonia first fled to Brussels before being temporarily arrested by German police in Schleswig- Holstein when entering the state from Denmark.

In a first ruling, the state's OLG ruled that extradition on the grounds of "rebellion" was not permissible due to the lack of a "violent element" in the suspect's behavior and released Puigdemont on bail from police custody.

Spanish politicians expressed regret at the decision but said that Madrid would respect the lawful verdict. State prosecutors from Spain subsequently held a high-level meeting with their German counterparts in the Dutch city of Den Haag.

On the basis of information received from Spain, the Schleswig-Holstein state prosecution office is now arguing that Puigdemont can be charged with "rebellion" in Germany. Video material supplied by Spain of violent rioting with police had demonstrated that Puigdemont's actions were tantamount to an equivalent offense of "high treason" in German law.

Responding to the news on Tuesday, the Schleswig-Holstein OLG noted, however, that it had not yet received a corresponding request from local state prosecutors and could therefore not estimate when it would reach a conclusive decision in the case.

Additionally, the court rejected a request to imprison Puigdemont again due to a "heightened flight risk."

Puigdemont is currently based in Berlin where he must report his whereabouts to police on a weekly basis. Although the ex-governor is free to move around in the country as he wishes, he cannot leave German sovereign territory while a judicial assessment of whether he can be charged and hence extradited is still ongoing.

The attorneys representing the ex-governor have announced that they will appeal to the German Federal Constitutional Court if necessary in order to prevent the extradition of their client to Spain.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Web editor: Liang Jun, Bianji)

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