A
Catalan leader jailed for his role in an independence
referendum deemed illegal by
Spain was entitled to immunity as member of the European Parliament despite not having being able to take up his seat, the EU's highest court ruled on Thursday.
The Court of Justice of the
European Union (CJEU) ruling in respect of Oriol Junqueras marks a likely boost for the Catalan separatist movement and potentially puts judicial authorities in
Brussels and Madrid at loggerheads.
Junqueras was sentenced in October to 13 years in jail for sedition and misuse of public funds related to the region's failed independence bid in autumn 2017, which Spanish authorities had declared illegal.