Catalonia Crisis: Spanish High Court summons Puidgemont and 13 other dismissed leaders
Madrid, Nov 1 (IBNS): The Spanish High Court has summoned controversial Catalonia leader Carles Puidgemont and 13 other leaders of his dismissed government, reports said.
The court has also allowed them three days to pay the fine of €6.2m ($7.2m) to cover liabilities.
Madrid has accused Puidgemont's of being ambitious, triggering a panic in the democracy as Catalonia held a referendum vote in order to split from Spain and carve a separate independent state.
Puidgemont and his sacked ministers are presently in Belgium, but said they wouldn't apply for asylum there.
Meanwhile, Spain's chief prosecutor on Monday said charges against the sacked Catalonian ministers will be pressed, including rebellion.
Spanish Attorney-General José Manuel Maza called for Catalan leaders to face charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.
Last week Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dissolved the Catalan parliament after the region's leaders voted in favour of declaring independence from Spain on Friday.
Rajoy said that he made the move to restore normality in the disputed region.
The Spanish Prime Minister will elect a new government after a snap vote.
Following his decision, he told the media that Puigdemont let down the Catalonian people by holding an independence referendum.
The president [Carles Puigdemont] had the opportunity to return to legality and to call elections," Rajoy said.
"It is what the majority of the Catalonian people asked for - but he didn't want to do it. So the government of Spain is taking the necessary measures to return to legality," he added.
The election which took place exactly a month ago, was attended by almost 42 percent of Catalonians, out of which 90 percent people voted in favour of independence.
Image: Twitter
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