Spain's Supreme Court lifts arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont after nine years in exile

Supreme Court decision in Madrid

On 6 October 2026, the Spanish Supreme Court lifted the domestic arrest warrant against former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, ending nearly nine years of legal restrictions that kept him in Belgium. Magistrate Pablo Llarena of the Supreme Court criminal chamber issued an order revoking all national search, arrest, and detention orders for Puigdemont and former regional ministers Antoni Comín and Lluís Puig with immediate effect. The ruling took place after Spain's Constitutional Court confirmed that the national amnesty law applies to embezzlement charges, the offense that had sustained the arrest warrants until now. The amnesty legislation was passed by the Spanish parliament two years earlier following negotiations between the central government and Catalan separatist parties, and its judicial clearance allows the three political leaders to re-enter Spain without legal obstacles.

Puigdemont's response from Belgium

Puigdemont, aged 63, addressed reporters from his official residence in Waterloo, Belgium, describing the judicial ruling as a political victory. He noted that the decision formally removes the legal barriers that prevented his return to Spain since his departure in late October 2017, which followed the Catalan parliament's unilateral declaration of independence. While acknowledging what he called a very special day, Puigdemont did not provide specific dates or logistical details for his planned return to Spanish territory. He emphasized that the underlying political dispute over Catalan independence remains active, stating that nothing has been resolved regarding relations between Catalonia and Spain.

Speaking during his address in Waterloo, Puigdemont presented the court ruling as a mandatory conclusion to his years in exile.

The decision forces an end to the period of political repression that we have suffered for more than nine years.

Amnesty legislation and coalition politics

The judicial decision follows a political agreement negotiated in 2023, when Puigdemont's party, Junts per Catalunya, provided essential parliamentary votes to confirm Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for a second term. In exchange for the party's backing, Sánchez agreed to sponsor an amnesty law covering politicians and activists prosecuted in connection with the 2017 secession attempt. Puigdemont spent the subsequent years living in Belgium, crossing into Spain only once during a brief visit in 2024 where security forces failed to detain him. Speaking at a press conference following the Supreme Court order, Sánchez maintained that the measure assists Catalan society and allows the region to look toward the future.

Sánchez described the application of the amnesty as a constructive step for the region.

We are pleased that with this we are also helping Catalan society, as it has demanded throughout this period.

Timeline and electoral implications

The cancellation of the warrants coincides with Spain's preparation for early legislative elections set for 29 November 2026. The Supreme Court ruling by judge Pablo Llarena cancels all pending detention orders for Puigdemont, Comín, and Puig until any further judicial review takes place. Puigdemont's potential physical return to Spain introduces a direct factor into the parliamentary campaign, even as the separatist leader maintains that his movement's core political objectives have not changed. The ruling implements the amnesty law at the highest level of Spain's judicial system.