German prosecutors ask court to extradite ex-Catalan leader

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

German prosecutors have asked a regional court to extradite former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who was detained two weeks ago on a European arrest warrant issued by Spain.

“We have concluded that the extradition request is admissible,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the northern town of Schleswig said in a press release on Tuesday.

The prosecutors asked the Higher Regional Court in Schleswig to rule for Puigdemont’s continued detention to prevent the risk of absconding.

The separatist leader was arrested in late March in northern Germany, while he was traveling from Denmark to Belgium.

A Spanish court reactivated last month a European arrest warrant against Puigdemont on charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.

The 55-year-old politician led a parliamentary session last year that saw separatist lawmakers vote for the region of Catalonia to declare independence from Spain.

He and 12 other separatist leaders were officially charged with rebellion.

Since October, Puigdemont was living in Belgium.