Spanish Constitutional Court clears path for Puigdemont's possible return

In a 7-5 decision, Spain's Constitutional Court endorsed applying the amnesty law to the misappropriation offense linked to former councilor Dolors Bassa, concluding that the Supreme Court had incorrectly read the exemption for personal enrichment. The court ordered the Supreme Court to reassess its judgment. Subsequently, judge Pablo Llarena provisionally lifted the national detention order covering Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comín and Lluís Puig, though he has not yet formally applied the amnesty.

This development moves Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium after the 2017 unilateral Catalan independence declaration, closer to a potential return, but his case is still unresolved. Llarena must receive the full Constitutional Court ruling, decide on the amnesty's effect, and close the proceedings. Puigdemont's party Junts was decisive in the 2023 government formation, securing the amnesty law in exchange for backing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's investiture.