Charges sought against Catalan leaders

The Spanish state prosecutor's office has called for charges against the sacked Catalonia president Carles Puigdemont and members of his cabinet.

Spain's state prosecutor has called for rebellion and sedition charges to be brought against Catalonia's leaders over their push to separate from Spain.

Attorney-General Jose Manuel Maza on Monday also called for charges of misuse of funds to be laid.

Under Spain's legal system, the request goes to a judge for consideration. Maza asked the judge to call the seccessionist leaders to testify.

Maza said one lawsuit seeks charges that includes regional leader Carles Puigdemont and his No.2 official, Oriol Junqueras, although he didn't name them.

Maza said a second lawsuit concerning members of the governing body of Catalonia's parliament, including Speaker Carme Forcadell, was filed in the country's Supreme Court.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy assumed direct control of the region on Friday, sacked its secessionist government and called a snap election for December 21.

However, some of the most prominent members of the Catalan administration, including Puigdemont and vice-president Junqueras, had said they would not accept the move and only the people of Catalonia could dismiss them.

Catalonia, a prosperous region with its own language and culture, triggered Spain's biggest crisis for decades by holding an independence referendum on October 1, which Spanish courts called illegal.


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Source: AAP



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