AUTHORITIES in Spain have issued a fresh European arrest warrant (EAW) for Professor Clara Ponsati, the former Catalan education minister and St Andrews academic who is exiled in Scotland.

It comes after judge Pablo Llarena issued a warrant for former president Carles Puigdemont, who is in exile in Belgium, following the Supreme Court verdicts which saw pro-independence politicians and public figures jailed for a total of 100 years for their part in the 2017 Catalan indyref.

EAWs will also be issued for ex-ministers Toni Comín and Lluís Puig, who are also in Belgium, according to Europa Press.

Under the warrants, Ponsati and Comin would be charged with sedition and misuse of public funds –or embezzlement – and Puig, the former culture minister, with a similar charge along with one of disobedience.

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However, Llarena could refuse a warrant for Puig given the lack of a more serious sedition allegation.

Scottish lawyer Aamer Anwar, told The National he expected the warrant to become live on Monday.

He added: “We very much intend to put on trial the Spanish justice system as well as certain politicians who have as acted as executioners with their public statements against the prisoners.

“The difference however on this occasion is that Clara is no longer charged with the crime of rebellion, but of sedition and the mismanagement of public funds.

“The crime of sedition carries a maximum penalty of 15 years and 12 years for the mismanagement of public funds. In essence the maximum sentence could be 27 years, but the Supreme Court recently imposed sentences of between 10 to 15 years for political prisoners who had been convicted of similar crimes.

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“My legal team is instructed to robustly defend Clara as she views these charges as ‘political persecution’ and submits that her human rights and justice cannot be guaranteed in the Spanish courts.

“Clara remains defiant and resolute and believes that her extradition would be unjust, oppressive and incompatible with her human rights.

“Critically we intend to use the ‘show trials’ of the Catalan politicians to show that the Spanish Courts cannot guarantee independence, human rights or justice.”