EDINBURGH (AFP) - Former Catalan minister Clara Ponsati, who is wanted by Spain for her role in last year's independence bid, surrendered to Scottish police on Wednesday (March 28) to face arrest under a European warrant.

Ponsati was later released after being granted bail, but was ordered to surrender her passport during a preliminary extradition hearing at a packed Edinburgh Sheriff Court, pending a full hearing.

Lawyers for Ponsati, a professor at the University of St Andrews, said they will "robustly" reject charges of violent rebellion and misappropriation of public funds for helping to organise last year's independence referendum in Catalonia, which the government in Madrid deemed illegal.

Supporters outside the court when she was released waved Catalan separatist flags and help up a banner reading: "We are with you".

She has received support from members of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the devolved government in Edinburgh, which has condemned arrest warrants issued for the Catalan politicians.

However, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she cannot intervene in an independent legal extradition process.

An online campaign to raise funds for Ponsati's extradition battle was launched earlier on Wednesday, and within three hours had raised more than £90,000 (S$160,000).

"My legal team is instructed to robustly defend Clara as she views these charges as 'political persecution' and a systematic attempt to crush the spirit of the Catalan people and their desire for freedom," her lawyer Aamer Anwar said in a statement.

"She does not believe that the Spanish courts can guarantee independence, human rights or justice. Clara remains defiant, resolute and is determined to fight back."

On her behalf, he thanked the staff at the university, the "many hundreds of thousands of ordinary people" who had backed her, as well as Sturgeon and the Scottish government.

"Scotland has been a true friend to Catalonia in her darkest hours," the lawyer said.

"However, it is absolutely right that the independence of the judiciary in Scotland is respected and that no government should ever interfere in that process. Clara accepts her fate now lies in the hands of the Scottish justice system."

A Spanish judge last week issued international and European arrest warrants for Ponsati and other separatist leaders, including former regional president Carles Puigdemont.

Puigdemont was arrested by German police on Sunday.

Spain's Supreme Court said it would prosecute 13 key separatists including Puigdemont and Ponsati for "rebellion", a crime which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in jail.

Ponsati was a minister in the Catalan government when it declared independence from the rest of Spain following a referendum in October.

She fled later that month with Puigdemont and three other former ministers to Brussels, after Spain dismissed the Catalan executive and imposed direct rule.

Ponsati then returned to the University of St Andrews, north-east of Edinburgh, where she had formerly worked and is a professor in the school of economics and finance. </s> Nicola Sturgeon has said she cannot intervene to stop the arrest of a Catalan leader in Scotland who is now subject of a European Arrest warrant.

Police Scotland are seeking to arrest Clara Ponsati, who was the education minister in the Catalan government, after she returned to work at St Andrews University.

It follows a European Arrest warrant being issued against her last week. The exiled Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has already been arrested in Germany as the fallout continues from Catalonia’s declaration of independence from Spain last year.

The SNP Government has voiced its sympathy with its “sister” Catalan independence movement

Ms Sturgeon said: “It is well established that the Scottish Government supports the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future and that we strongly oppose the Spanish Government’s decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

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“The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views.”

Under the Extradition Act 2003, Scottish Ministers have no role in the determination of European Arrest Warrants.

The First Minister added: “ Our police, prosecution service and courts are independent and are legally obliged under this UK legislation to fulfil their responsibilities. Scottish Ministers have no powers to intervene in this process.

“However, the legal process includes the right of any individual subject to proceedings under the 2003 Act to oppose their extradition in the courts and it is vital that the integrity of this process is protected - for that reason the Scottish Government will not comment further at this stage.”

Police Scotland have now confirmed they are in possession of the warrant.

A police statement said: “We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsati to hand herself into police.” </s> Clara Ponsati, the former Catalan education secretary, will hand herself in to Scottish police today after they received a request for her extradition to Spain.

Clara Ponsati, the former Catalan education secretary, will hand herself in to Scottish police today after they received a request for her extradition to Spain.

Ex-Catalonia minister to hand herself in to Scottish police

Amid protests in Catalonia over the Spanish crackdown on separatists, the dispute will arrive in a court in Edinburgh, where Ms Ponsati will appear to begin the fight against her extradition. She will be represented by Aamer Anwar, a Glasgow University rector and human rights lawyer, who insisted yesterday she was the target of "political persecution".

Scotland has been one of the strongest sources of international support for Catalan secessionists, and the extradition case has drawn strong protest, particularly from nationalist politicians. Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish first minister, has been forced to deny calls to step in, saying that her government has "no powers to intervene" in a process that is the exclusive remit of the courts.

But she said in a statement: "It is well established that the Scottish government supports the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future and that we strongly oppose the Spanish government's decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians." Ms Ponsati travelled to Scotland earlier this month to return to a post at the University of St Andrews, after four months in self-imposed exile in Belgium with Carles Puigdemont - who was detained in Germany on Sunday - and three other former cabinet members.

Spain's Supreme Court on Friday opened prosecutions against 13 members of the separatist government for rebellion and misuse of public funds, charges that could see them jailed for up to 30 years. Another 12 independence figures have been charged with lesser crimes, while seven international arrest warrants have also been issued. The UN Human Rights Committee said that it would be accepting a complaint filed by Mr Puigdemont.

It is unclear whether the German and Scottish courts will grant the extraditions on the grounds of rebellion. A previous attempt to extradite Mr Puigdemont from Belgium was dropped amid fears the judge would strike out the rebellion charge, which requires the use or threat of violence.

Ms Ponsati's lawyer told the BBC yesterday that they would be challenging the rebellion charge, insisting that there was no similar crime in Scotland and that "the only people responsible for violence on [referendum] day were the Spanish police". Inigo Mendez de Vigo, a Spanish government spokesman, denied the separatists were "victims", insisting their "criminal actions" were an "attack" not only against Spain but the European Union. </s> Police Scotland are seeking to arrest a former Catalan minister who returned to work at St Andrews University after fleeing Spai

Clara Ponsatí was the education minister in the Catalan government when it declared independence from Spain last October following an unofficial referendum.

Ponsatí fled to Brussels with Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and three others, days after the vote, but is currently living near St Andrews.

Ponsatí had previously been director of the School of Economics and Finance at St Andrews before leaving for Spain to take up her role as Catalan education minister.

She then headed back to Scotland after the Spanish state started arresting leading Catalan politicians.

A European arrest warrant was issued for her arrest on Friday.

Police Scotland have now confirmed they are in possession of the warrant.

A police statement said: "We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsati to hand herself into police."

Madrid took direct control of Catalonia and sacked all officials following the independence referendum in October last year in Catalan which had been banned by the Spanish state.

A spokesman for St Andrews said: '"We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully." </s> A former member of Catalonia's regional government is preparing to hand herself in to police in Scotland after a European arrest warrant was issued, the force has said.

A former member of Catalonia's regional government is preparing to hand herself in to police in Scotland after a European arrest warrant was issued, the force has said.

A Spanish judge issued arrest warrants on Friday for Ms Ponsati and other fugitive politicians including Catalonia's ex-leader Carles Puigdemont, who has now been detained by German police. A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We can confirm we are in possession of a European arrest warrant for Clara Ponsati.

"We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsati to hand herself into police." Earlier this month Ms Ponsati revealed on social media that she had returned to working at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.

She had been in Belgium since fleeing Spain along with Mr Puigdemont and three other former cabinet members following an unsuccessful bid to declare independence from Spain in October. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "It is well established that the Scottish Government supports the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future and that we strongly oppose the Spanish Government's decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

"The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views. "Under the Extradition Act 2003, Scottish ministers have no role in the determination of European Arrest Warrants.

"Our police, prosecution service and courts are independent and are legally obliged under this UK legislation to fulfil their responsibilities. Scottish ministers have no powers to intervene in this process.

"However, the legal process includes the right of any individual subject to proceedings under the 2003 Act to oppose their extradition in the courts and it is vital that the integrity of this process is protected - for that reason the Scottish Government will not comment further at this stage." </s> Clara Ponsatí’s lawyer says she will fight attempt to return her to Spain to face rebellion charge

Clara Ponsatí, the Catalan academic facing extradition from Scotland to Spain for alleged sedition, has been granted bail by a court in Edinburgh pending a full hearing later this spring.

Ponsatí appeared in the dock at the city’s sheriff court flanked by custody officers after she was formally arrested at a police station in Edinburgh on Wednesday and served with a European arrest warrant issued by judges in Madrid.

Her lawyer, Claire Mitchell, told the court Ponsatí faced charges of rebellion and misusing €1.6m in public funds for her role in the Catalan regional government, which organised an illegal independence referendum last year.

The 18-page arrest warrant listed 56 specific claims, with 34 additional pages of supporting legal material. It blames her in part for violence against 6,000 Spanish police officers as security forces fought to close down polling stations.

Mitchell said Ponsatí would “robustly” resist the extradition, but her bail application was unopposed by Scottish prosecutors representing the Spanish courts. There will be further proceedings in April, with the full case due to take place later.

Before the case began, about 150 Catalan and Scottish independence supporters, some waving Catalan flags, had gathered outside the court. By Wednesday afternoon, a crowdfunding campaign launched that morning to pay Ponsatí’s legal costs had reached more than £166,000.

Mitchell added there were significant questions about whether the warrant was valid and whether the offences listed in it were valid in Scots law. They may argue that the extradition was disproportionate and incompatible with Postaní’s rights under the European convention on human rights.

Speaking alongside Postaní after her release on bail, her solicitor, Aamer Anwar, said she faced 25 years in jail for sedition and up to eight years for misusing public funds.

“She can’t believe she is being held responsible for the violence which took place on the day of the referendum,” he said. “She believes that the Catalan people tried to express a democratic right to decide their own destiny.”

The Scottish government has stopped short of supporting Catalonia’s independence but insists that the region be allowed to conduct a referendum, which is illegal under Spain’s constitution.

Fiona Hyslop, the Scottish government’s external affairs secretary, wrote to Spain’s ambassador to the UK, Carlos Bastarreche Sagües, on Tuesday, protesting at the use of a European arrest warrant in a political dispute.

Ponsatí has been named by the Spanish courts as a fugitive from justice after briefly serving as an education minister under Carles Puigdemont in the regional Catalan government. She is one of five senior figures in Puigdemont’s team who fled Spain after his government was removed from office.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont held by German police Read more

Highly regarded at St Andrews University, she had just finished a three-year term as head of the its school of economics when Puigdemont recalled her to Barcelona to be his new education minister – a job she held for just four months.

Ponsatí is little known in Catalonia and few had heard of her until she fled to Brussels with Puigdemont last October.

Her predecessor, Meritxell Ruiz, was one of three ministers purged from Puigdemont’s cabinet because they were unwilling to back the proposed referendum. Officially the three left for personal reasons.

At least five Scottish National party MSPs took part in the protest outside the court, along with Tricia Marwick, the former presiding officer of the Scottish parliament. Marwick, who had been in Barcelona as an observer during last year’s unofficial referendum, said: “Jailing elected politicians is beyond the norms of democracy.

“I think Clara will certainly be inspired, not just today with all these people, but with the crowdfunding crashing through the £100,000 barrier in just four hours.”

Two police officers and an academic who were accompanying Puigdemont at the weekend when he was detained in Germany as he travelled by car from Helsinki to Brussels were arrested on their return to Spain on Wednesday.

Spain’s national court has opened an investigation into whether Carlos de Pedro López and Xabier Goicoeche, both serving members of the Catalan police force, are guilty of concealment or of assisting Puigdemont in evading arrest. The detained academic was Josep Luis Alay Rodríguez.

Puigdemont was detained under the European arrest warrant in the northern German province of Schleswig-Holstein. The German authorities have 60 days in which to reach a decision on the extradition request, which Puigdemont opposed during a hearing on Monday. </s> A former Catalan minister who now lives in Scotland has handed herself in to police, as Spanish authorities seek to extradite her.

Professor Clara Ponsatí faces charges of rebellion and misappropriating public funds over the Catalan government's independence referendum last year.

Prof Ponsatí, a former education minister who is chair of Economics at St Andrews University, refutes the allegations and is expected to fight the extradition bid in Scottish courts.

She attended St Leonard's police station in Edinburgh with her lawyer Aamer Anwar on Wednesday morning.

Last week, a Spanish Supreme Court judge issued an indictment relating to charges against five former Catalan ministers, following the regional government's attempts to declare independence from Spain.

This led to European Arrest Warrants being issued, with former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont being arrested in Germany.

Mr Anwar read out a statement outside the police station.

He said: "After we enter the police station, my client will be placed under arrest.

"The European Arrest Warrant will then be served upon her and Clara will be transferred to Edinburgh Sheriff Court where she will apear from custody.

"The Spanish authorities wish to extradite Clara on charges of violent rebellion, and misappropriation of public funds for helping to organise the referendum.

"My legal team is instructed to robustly defend Clara as she views these charges as political persecution and a systematic attempt to crush the spirit of the Catalan people and their desire for freedom.

"She does not believe that the Spanish courts can guarantee independence, human rights or justice.

"Clara remains, defiant, resolute and is determined to fight back."

He said Prof Ponsatí wished to thank those who had supported her, including students colleagues and Nicola Sturgeon.

Mr Anwar added: "Scotland has been a true friend to Catalonia in her darkest hours.

"However it is absolutely right that the independence of the judiciary is respected and that no government should ever interfere in that process.

"Clara now accepts her fate now lies in the hands of the Scottish justice system."

A hearing is expected to take place at Edinburgh Sheriff Court later on Wednesday.

Download: The STV News app is Scotland's favourite and is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from Google Play. Download it today and continue to enjoy STV News wherever you are. </s> The Kremlin has said no matter what the outcome of Sunday’s vote, which could split Spain in two, Russia will still treat the European country as one entity. Under the Spanish constitution the referendum has been deemed invalid, yet the Catalan government is pressing ahead with the referendum, despite its leader being threatened with imprisonment. Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, today spoke out against the referendum. She said: "We believe that the situation in Catalonia is an internal Spanish affair.

"We are certain the events in Catalonia should proceed strictly in compliance with the existing Spanish legislation. "We interpret the Catalonian authorities’ so-called independence referendum scheduled for October 1, just as other unilateral initiatives by local legislators, in the context of the decisions on the issue by the Constitutional Court of Spain. "In our relations with Spain we proceed from the unconditional principle of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of that country.”

The condemnation from Vladimir Putin’s government is one of the strongest from outside Spain. Britain has said Catalan independence is a matter for the Spanish government and its people but refused to expand on how it would treat Spain if Catalonia voted for independence. A Foreign Office spokeswoman, told Express.co.uk: “The UK strongly supports the rule of law and remains clear that questions related to the issue of Catalan independence are a matter for the Government and people of Spain, and should be resolved within the proper constitutional and legal channels.”

The Catalan government has promised a declaration of independence within 48 hours if the majority of people vote yes on Sunday. A declaration would mean Spain suffers its most serious constitutional crisis in more than 30 years after democracy was restored following decades of dictatorship. Spanish authorities have threatened referendum organisers with arrest and have ordered police to patrol polling stations in a bid to stop the vote. </s> Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is meeting today with Catalan premier Quim Torra in a bid to start normalizing relations between Barcelona and Madrid.

It is the first time in two years that a Catalan government leader has come to La Moncloa, the seat of the Spanish executive in Madrid.

The last such meeting held there was between Mariano Rajoy and Carles Puigdemont; the former was recently unseated by a no-confidence motion and has retired from politics, while the latter fled Spain to avoid being tried for rebellion after leading a unilateral independence bid.

The Madrid premier thinks the meeting is “a mistake” because the Catalan government is “run by fanatics”

As the encounter started on Monday morning, Sánchez wrote on Twitter: “We begin the meeting focused on taking a step forward to return normality to Spain, with respect for the Constitution and the trust that institutional dialogue will open up channels of understanding.”

Following recent expressions of goodwill from both sides, the meeting will test the limits of the current leaders’ commitment to dialogue. Sources at both executives admitted that the path toward a loyal and long-lasting collaboration is fraught with difficulty. And there is opposition to the talks among political parties across the ideological spectrum.

Before leaving for the capital, Torra wrote on Twitter: “Going to Madrid to explain to [Pedro] Sanchez Castejón the extremely serious situation the Spanish state has created in Catalonia. And to willingly listen to the solution he proposes.”

More self-rule

Torra is asking for a Scottish-like referendum, but Sánchez is not open to that option

Sánchez, of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), has said that he is ready to consider further power transfers and investment in Catalonia, but is insisting on an agenda that will “take all Catalans into account,” not just those in favor of independence.

Meanwhile, Torra, who was handpicked by Puigdemont as his successor, continues to publicly defend the outcome of the illegal referendum of October 1 and the right to self-determination through a referendum similar to the one held in Scotland in 2014.

At his last address inside the Catalan parliament, Torra compared Catalonia with Scotland and called for the same kind of negotiated referendum that ultimately ruled out independence for the UK nation “We expect the same reply that [then-British Prime Mininster] David Cameron offered,” said Torra.

Sánchez is not open to this possibility, but sources at La Moncloa said there is still room left to win back some of the 47.7% of voters who cast their ballots for separatist parties at the regional election of December 21. Sánchez will insist that his own agenda is meant “for all Catalans,” not just a few.

The Catalan executive says that Sánchez is mistaken if he thinks that promises of new investment will be enough.

Torra is expected to suggest that specific issues of an economic and social nature, such as improved financing and power transfers over railroad and airport facilities, be addressed by dedicated committees and bilateral forums. The separatist parties Together for Catalonia (JxC) and Catalan Republican Left (ERC) said that even though there is no Catalan state yet, running day-to-day affairs in this way would be good because it constitutes “making a republic.”

Opposition

There is considerable opposition to the Sánchez-Torra meeting among parties with very different agendas. Center-right party Ciudadanos, which strongly opposes the secessionist movement, has asked the Spanish PM to cancel the meeting until Torra “rectifies” and “drops his intention” to declare Catalan independence, in the words of deputy Fernando del Páramo. And Madrid regional premier Ángel Garrido, of the conservative Popular Party (PP), thinks the meeting is “a mistake” because the Catalan government is “run by fanatics” and nobody should “make concessions to diehards.”

Meanwhile, the far-left, pro-independence CUP party in Catalonia sees the trip to Madrid as a waste of time: “Talking with someone who does not accept the right to self-determination is a contaminated dialogue,” they say.

Spanish government spokesperson Isabel Celaá said that holding talks is one thing, and demanding respect for the law another. None of the two sides would say whether the former will still be possible if the latter is not respected.

English version by Susana Urra.
The government of Scotland releases a statement in support of the Catalan independence referendum but would prefer that both Catalonia and Spain agree on the terms.