OVIEDO, Spain

Spain’s Supreme Court confirmed on Thursday it will deny amnesty to Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont.

While the Spanish government passed a controversial amnesty law in 2024 that was expected to pave the way for Puigdemont’s return from exile, the court ruled he cannot be pardoned due to embezzlement charges.

Puigdemont, the former president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, fled Spain in 2017 after a failed push for independence.

While most of his colleagues have been granted amnesty, Puigdemont and two others are accused of embezzlement, which is not covered under Spain’s amnesty bill.

In the appeal, Puigdemont and the others argued they did not misuse public funds for personal gain.

However, the court ruled that “a person benefits financially when their wealth grows, but also when their liabilities are covered by public funds illegally.”

It also said the politicians benefitted financially by advancing the “illegal political project.”

On X, Puigdemont called the ruling “not surprising.”

“The decision confirms the attitude of defiance against the legislative power and the tantrum thrown over a law they disagree with, which leads them to twist the interpretation of the alleged crime of embezzlement,” he posted.

According to the Spanish daily El Pais newspaper, Puigdemont is expected to bring the case to Spain’s Constitutional Court.

Facing arrest over charges related to an attempt to break away from Spain, Puigdemont has been living elsewhere in Europe since 2017.

In 2024, despite an active arrest warrant and a large-scale search effort, he made a high-profile appearance in Barcelona before slipping away once again.