Catalonia
Sections
Highlight
Sections
Highlight
The Catalan police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, continue to investigate how former regional president Carles Puigdemont managed to escape arrest after a short speech outside the parliament in Barcelona on Thursday morning.
Puigdemont, who returned to Spain, as announced, apparently to attend the investiture of Socialist Salvador Illa as president of the Catalan government, has been living in Belgium in self-imposed exile since he led the illegal independence referendum in October 2017.
Police reports on the escape of the former president , to which this newspaper has had access, reveal some hitherto unknown information about the bizarre escape of the former president on Thursday morning.
The main new development is that the reports reveal the presence of a woman who, according to a plainclothes officer who was close to the scene, was driving the white Honda apparently used as an escape car. The vehicle's owner, a police officer, was arrested on Thursday morning and has since been released.
Puigdemont got into the back of the car behind the driver, after putting on a blue cap, like the one worn by his party's secretary-general Jordi Turrull, who was walking with him. The cap was probably provided by his lawyer, Gonzalo Boye. One of the reports states that the officer "clearly identified Jordi Turull, dressed in dark trousers, light shirt, dark jacket and a dark blue cap" as also getting into the vehicle, followed by the ex-president himself. Turull alsosat in the back of the car.
In the front passenger seat was a wheelchair, the use of which is not specified in the reports, although some sources conjecture that it could have been used to carry the disguised fugitive through the streets of Barcelona or to gain entry into restricted traffic areas of the city.
The officers questioned in these proceedings agree that more than one car was used in the escape plan. One of the officers speaks of two vehicles and a motorbike and a second of three cars.
One of the plainclothes officers who was in the vicinity tried to follow the car, "but the attitude of the people who were watching the officer suddenly changed, and they began to rebuke him when he tried to follow the vehicle". Another of the officers was also discovered by the crowd who, according to the reports, blocked the way of anyone attempting to follow the vehicle. The large straw hats worn by many in the crowd obstructed visibility at the time of the escape, the documents note.
Puigdemont's lawyer said on Friday that his client was already outside Spain and that "shortly" he would make a public statement.
Mossos d'Esquadra chief Eduard Sallent, however, said that they had not ruled out him still being in Barcelona.
Puigdemont still has a warrant out for his arrest in Spain after courts decided that the controversial amnesty law, approved by the Spanish government to benefit those involved in the referendum, could not be applied to him.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Debido a un error no hemos podido dar de alta tu suscripción.
Por favor, ponte en contacto con Atención al Cliente.
¡Bienvenido a SURINENGLISH!
Tu suscripción con Google se ha realizado correctamente, pero ya tenías otra suscripción activa en SURINENGLISH.
Déjanos tus datos y nos pondremos en contacto contigo para analizar tu caso
¡Tu suscripción con Google se ha realizado correctamente!
La compra se ha asociado al siguiente email
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.