Nicola Sturgeon pledges support for Clara Ponsatí
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 @ 11:00 PM
CATALUNYA'S former education minister Clara Ponsatí is expected to hand herself in to the police in Edinburgh today (Wednesday) in light of the European arrest warrant issued in her name.
She and three other ministers joined deposed president Carles Puigdemont in fleeing for Belgium after the disputed independence referendum, but Dr Ponsatí has since moved to Scotland.
Before being minister, she was head of studies in the faculty of psychology at St Andrew's University, and went back to her old job a few weeks back.
Dr Ponsatí says she will appeal against the order, and her solicitor, Aamer Anwar, says the professor is determined to fight to avoid being extradited to Spain.
She is charged with 'violent rebellion' and 'misuse of public funds', given her role in helping to organise the referendum.
Dr Anwar said Dr Ponsatí, 61, was due to attend St Leonard's police station at 09.30 local time today (10.30 mainland Spain time) and would give a press conference just beforehand.
She was then due to appear before a judge in a preliminary hearing at 13.00 UK time (14.00 in mainland Spain) lasting between half an hour and an hour.
Dr Anwar would be requesting she be released with charges pending trial and that a date would be set for the case to decide whether or not she would be extradited.
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