“He is going back to Waterloo,” Jordi Turull, secretary general of his Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) party, assured Catalan radio station Rac1 on Friday morning, adding that he did not know if he had already arrived in this Belgian city near Brussels. , where he spent most of his seven years in exile.
Carles Puigdemont's lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, had also previously stated on the same radio that his client was “outside” of Spain, assuring that Carles Puigdemont himself would speak “today or tomorrow”.
“I do not rule out that this gentleman is still in Barcelona,” said Catalan police chief Eduard Sallent. “Until we have proof that he is outside the jurisdiction of the Mossos d'Esquadra, we will continue to look for him. »
Directly targeted by the criticism of this improbable disappearance, the Catalan police are trying to put order in their ranks: on Friday evening, a third policeman was arrested, suspected in turn of having played a role in the exfiltration of Carles Puigdemont after its conclusion. speaking.
This is the third Mosso arrested for his alleged role in the strongman's escape from Catalonia's attempted secession in 2017. Two other agents were arrested, then released, remaining accused of participating in or helping Carles Puigdemont leave after his brief speech . on a podium installed in the heart of Barcelona, near the Parliament.
The man who fled in 2017 to escape prosecution for his role in the failed secession bid of Spain's wealthy northeastern region is still the subject of an arrest warrant in Spain, despite the amnesty law negotiated by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in exchange Junts support for his government.
A central figure in Catalan independence, Mr Puigdemont announced his return to Catalonia on Thursday – where he was actually on Tuesday, according to Mr Turull – to take part in the investiture vote for the region's new president.
He eventually settled for a short speech on camera, outside Parliament, in front of thousands of supporters, before making a discreet escape, managing to thwart the police force who were supposed to allow him to be arrested.
“Inscribed”
The policemen explained that they lost track of him after appearing on the scene, when, according to them, he “fled, taking advantage of the number of people surrounding him, in a vehicle that the policemen tried to stop, in vain . They then set up a police system to find him with numerous car checks on the roads of Catalonia.
Already under question for his role in the 2017 secession attempt, the Mossos d'Esquadra explained at length in a press conference on Friday morning that they had every intention of arresting the independence leader, but close to Parliament, not off stage.
Some critical voices spoke of a “pact” between the Catalan police and the fugitive leader. “At no time […] we did not negotiate or agree anything with Carles Puigdemont or his entourage,” defended Eduard Sallent, chief commissioner of the Mossos, indicating that he “developed a system in which Carles Puigdemont really wanted to participate in the investiture of the session.”
On Friday, Judge Pablo Llarena, who is investigating the case where Carles Puigdemont is still subject to an arrest warrant in Spain, formally demanded an explanation from the Interior Ministry and the Mossos, including those responsible, defended their action at length in a press release. conference.
Nationally, the new episode in the Puigdemont saga has angered the right-wing and far-right opposition, which has criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government.