EU Parliament lifts immunity of 3 Catalans, including Puigdemont

The move could see Spain restart efforts to have separatist leader extradited to face trial.

The European Parliament (EP) has voted to strip immunity from the former president of Spain’s Catalonia region, Carles Puigdemont, and two of his associates – a move that could pave the way for the political figures to be extradited. The Brussels-based chamber on Tuesday announced that 400 legislators had voted a day earlier for Puigdemont’s immunity from prosecution to be waived, while 248 were against and 45 abstained. The votes to lift the immunity of his associates – former Catalan health minister Toni Comin and former regional education minister Clara Ponsati – were by largely similar margins.