Finnish Police Receive Request for Extradition of Ex-Catalan Head Puigdemont
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Finland has received a request from Spain to extradite former Catalan head Carles Puigdemont, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said Saturday.
"Spain has requested extradition of its national, who is currently visiting Finland. The police have reported to the prosecutor and have engaged in the exchange of additional information with Spanish authorities," the statement read, Sputnik reported.
The day before, Spanish Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena issued the European arrest warrant for Puigdemont and a number of other politicians of the region.
Earlier, Puigdemont said that he was ready for talks with the central government, and believed that his return would be evidence of the normalization of politics and democracy in Spain.
On October 1, Catalonia held a referendum on the region's independence from Spain. The vast majority of voters backed secession. The plebiscite was not, however, recognized by Madrid, which subsequently imposed direct rule over the autonomous region and dismissed its government. Several ministers of the former Catalan government were arrested while Puigdemont managed to leave Spain.
