Portugal’s President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, phone the King of Spain on Saturday to let him know that Portugal does not acknowledge Catalonia as a separate state, despite its recent declaration of independence.
A statement was issued by the government before the president called the monarch, in which Portugal’s government saw fit to criticise Catalonia’s declaration of independence, saying it was an attack on Spain’s constitutional rights.
Spain's state prosecutor has weighed in to bolster the government’s hard line approach and has called for Catalonia's political leaders to be charged with rebellion, sedition and the misuse of public funds, carrying maximum sentences of 30, 15 and six years respectively.
Two lawsuits already have been submitted by Spain’s attorney-general, José Manuel Maza. One seeks the prosecution of the sacked Catalan officials, including Carles Puigdemont and his deputy. The second targets MPs who allowed the referendum to go ahead.
The illegal independence vote led to Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, (pictured), taking direct control of the break-away region, sacking its government and calling an election for December 21st to allow voters to select a new regional government.
The state prosecutor's request for charges now goes to a panel of judges for consideration but there may be no one left to prosecute as Catalonia’s president, Carles Puigdemont, and five members of his cabinet, drove to Marseilles and caught a flight to Brussels where they may apply for political asylum if their judge that their immunity level as politicians does not cover being charged with rebellion and other serious offences.
To the intense irritation of Rajoy, Belgium's foreign affairs minister Theo Francken has suggested the Catalan leader is allowed to seek asylum in the country if he fears he may not get a fair trial in Madrid.
A spokesman for Spain's ruling Popular Party, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, said Theo Francken's comments were "serious accusations against Spain's legal system" which should be "corrected immediately" as Francken has "violated the principles of solidarity and loyal cooperation between EU member states."
