MADRID: A Spanish prosecutor asked a judge on Thursday to issue an international arrest warrant for the former president of Catalonia and four of his ministers after they failed to appear in a Madrid court for questioning about their efforts to break the region away from Spain.

Meanwhile, the same judge, Investigative Magistrate Carmen Lamela, sent eight former Catalan Cabinet members to jail without bail and ordered another to be held pending a 50,000 euro ($58,300) bail payment.

The ruling was made at the request of prosecutors after the nine were questioned at the National Court in Madrid.

Also on Thursday, six Catalan lawmakers appeared for a parallel session in the Spain Supreme Court. They were given a week to prepare their defences and instructed to return for questioning on Nov 9.

In all, 20 regional politicians are being investigated on possible charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement for a declaration of secession the Parliament of Catalonia made on Oct 27. The crimes are punishable by up to 30 years in prison under Spanish law.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his 13-member Cabinet were among those summoned to Spain’s National Court for questioning. Puigdemont surfaced in Belgium on Tuesday with some of his ex-ministers, saying they were seeking “freedom and safety” there. He and four of the officials remained in Brussels on Thursday.

Puigdemont’s No. 2, former Vice President Oriol Junqueras, was the first to arrive on Thursday at the National Court. He went in accompanied by lawyers, passing by dozens of journalists, and declined to answer questions.

The proceedings started with an appearance by the regional government’s former spokesman, Jordi Turull. He was followed by Josep Rull, who handled the region’s territorial affairs.

Spain took the unprecedented step of triggering constitutional powers allowing it to take over running Catalonia following the region’s declaration of independence. Madrid dismissed the Catalan Cabinet, dissolved the regional parliament and called a new regional election for Dec 21.

Javier Melero, a lawyer representing some of the separatist lawmakers investigated in the Supreme Court, criticized Puigdemont and the four ministers who skipped court. He said their actions would be damaging for his clients, three lawmakers who are members of Puigdemont’s PDeCAT party.

“Not being at the service of the judiciary when you are summoned is always damaging for the rest of those being investigated,” Melero said.

About two dozen politicians and elected officials from Catalan separatist parties gathered at the gates of the Supreme Court in a show of support for the lawmakers under investigation.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2017