The arrest warrant against the Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and Minister Toni Comín has been suspended by a Belgian judge, a lawyer for Puigdemont said on Thursday. Puigdemont and Comín's immunity as MEPs was cited as the reason for the warrant's suspension.
The Belgian judge in charge of the case also suspended the warrant issued against Toni Comin, a former Catalan cabinet member, lawyer Paul Bekaert:
"Today, Belgian judicial authorities have again stopped the extradition attempt against president Puigdemont and councillor Comin, because they recognise their immunity as elected members of the European Parliament", the two Catalan leaders said in a statement.
Puigdemont and Comín are wanted in Spain for their involvement in a Democratic Referendum from 2017, led by the Catalan government, which was deemed illegal by Spain. The two fled to Belgium after the 2017 events and were elected as MEPs last May, winning the European elections in Catalonia as the first force.
