Barcelona court reopens case against three Mossos officers who helped Puigdemont flee in 2024
The Barcelona Provincial Court has ordered the reopening of the investigation into three Mossos d'Esquadra officers accused of helping former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont disappear after a brief public appearance in August 2024, overturning a lower court's dismissal.
Court overturns dismissal
The Barcelona Provincial Court has accepted appeals from the public prosecutor, Vox, and Hazte Oír and revoked the provisional dismissal of the case against three Mossos d'Esquadra officers. The investigating judge, María Antonia Coscollola, had closed the proceedings in late April 2026, finding no criminal conduct because the agents were off duty. The higher court now orders the case to proceed to trial if the investigation is complete.
There are sufficient grounds to consider that the presence of the three investigated individuals at the place and time of the events was not merely casual.
The court cites Supreme Court jurisprudence stating that police officers must intervene "always in defense of the law and citizen security," even when off duty. The potential charge falls under Article 408 of the Criminal Code, carrying a penalty of disqualification from public office for six months to two years.
Evidence from internal investigation
The ruling relies heavily on reports, photographs, and videos from the Mossos d'Esquadra Internal Affairs Division. The images show the three officers surrounding Puigdemont at very close range, at times taking him by the arm to help him move through the crowd. The court describes this positioning as "encapsulation," typical of a personal protection detail.
The relevant indications provided by the images are peripherally reinforced by details such as the use by the three investigated individuals of blue baseball caps, similar to those used by other people who in the videos appear to form part of a security or protection team.
The officers were on vacation, personal leave, or sick leave that day. The court finds the absence of telephone or messaging contact among them irrelevant, as it could be a basic security measure.
The escape vehicle
The car in which Puigdemont fled after his speech at the Arc de Triomf belonged to one of the investigated officers, Jordi Rodrigo Niñerola. It had been parked in a nearby parking lot the previous day. On the morning of 8 August 2024, the vehicle, driven by the officer's partner, entered the security perimeter to pick up Puigdemont and another person before leaving the area.
- Car belonging to officer Jordi Rodrigo Niñerola is parked in a nearby parking lot.
- Puigdemont reappears near Arc de Triomf; three off-duty Mossos surround him.
- Puigdemont flees in the officer's car, driven by the officer's partner, and crosses into France.
- Investigating judge María Antonia Coscollola provisionally dismisses the case.
- Prosecutor, Vox, and Hazte Oír appeal the dismissal.
- Barcelona Provincial Court reopens the case and orders it to proceed to trial.
Legal and political context
Puigdemont was subject to an arrest warrant from the Spanish Supreme Court for his role in the 2017 independence referendum and the unilateral declaration of independence. His brief reappearance in Barcelona on 8 August 2024, during the investiture session of Salvador Illa as Catalan president, ended with his escape back across the French border. The three officers, Jordi Rodrigo Niñerola, Xavier Manso, and David Goicoechea, now face trial for allegedly omitting their duty to pursue a fugitive.
