Óscar Puente urges Puigdemont to return to Spain after the CJEU's endorsement of the amnesty: "I would show up in Spain today without any doubt"

The endorsement of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for the amnesty law has reopened the debate about the return to Spain of the former president of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont. As a result of the European resolution, the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has defended this Friday the immediate application of the rule and has assured that, in the situation of the pro-independence leader, he would return to the country without waiting any longer.

During an interview granted to RNE, Puente maintained that the CJEU's pronouncement clears up the main legal doubts about the law by concluding that it is compatible with Community law, that it does not violate European regulations on terrorism, and that the amnesty for embezzlement offenses does not harm the financial interests of the European Union.

In this context, the minister stated that "if I were Mr. Puigdemont, I would show up in Spain today without any doubt", a decision that, in his opinion, would represent an exercise of political leadership and would be in line with what is established by the Spanish legislation, the Constitutional Court, and European justice.

Although he admitted not knowing what the final decision of the former Catalan president will be, he insisted that the current scenario is favorable for him to return. In fact, he pointed out that Puigdemont "has it on a plate" to return to Spain, even if this implied a possible arrest or his entry into prison.

"If I cannot move freely in a country that has freely decided that I should be free, well, man, let's all blush at once, they say it's better to be red for a minute than yellow for a lifetime, I would do it," added the head of Transport.

Puente also expressed his criticism of the actions of part of the judiciary regarding the application of the amnesty. In his opinion, it is "tremendously difficult to understand that the Spanish justice system tries to breach" the rule and that the thesis is maintained that "it is not going to be applied immediately."

For the minister, the CJEU's decision also shows that there is a sector of the judiciary that questions the legitimacy of the decisions adopted by the legislature. According to him, the ruling highlights an attitude of resistance to a law democratically approved and now endorsed by the competent judicial institutions both in Spain and at the European level.