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The separatist former politician had a previous European arrest against her withdrawn in July last year. The Spanish daily newspaper ABC yesterday reported that prosecutors will ask a Supreme Court judge to make Ponsati a fugitive from justice again “in the next few days”. The article claimed that Spain’s public prosecution service would seek her extradition on charges of sedition and misappropriation of public funds for her role in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.

Earlier this month, nine of the 12 political and civil leaders tried earlier this year in Madrid were handed prison sentences by Spain’s Supreme Court.

Former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras was sentenced to 13 years in prison for sedition and misuse of public funds.

Three other former Catalan government ministers – Raul Romeva, Jordi Turull and Dolors Bassa – were jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of the same charges.

Under Spanish law, the crime of sedition carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

The sentences sparked a week of protests which turned violent in several Catalan cities, including Bar­celona, and ended with more than 600 people, including police officers, injured and nearly 200 arrests.

A new European Arrest was issued for exiled former Catalan president Carlos Puigdemont in the wake of the sentencing of his former colleagues. He fled to Bel­gium after the unofficial independence referendum took place two years ago.

Belgian authorities have agreed to delay the case until the middle of December at the request of his legal team.