German, Spanish judicial authorities to hold discussions over Puigdemont extradition

BERLIN, April 11 (Xinhua) -- German judicial authorities have accepted an invitation by their Spanish colleagues to discuss the potential extradition of ex-Catalan governor Carles Puigdemont, a spokesperson for the Chief Public Prosecution Office in the state of Schleswig-Holstein confirmed on Wednesday.

A meeting at the European Union (EU) justice agency Eurojust in the Dutch city of Den Haag was planned "shortly", the spokesperson told the press. Media reported that Spanish judicial authorities still hoped to persuade their German counterparts that there was sufficient evidence to justify accusations of "rebellion" and "embezzlement" against the Catalan separatist leader during the high-level meeting.

Earlier, the Higher Regional Court in Schleswig-Holstein rejected a Spanish extradition request for Puigdemont on the grounds of "rebellion". The court is still assessing whether to deliver the wanted ex-governor to Spain on related embezzlement charges.

Puigdemont has expressed his desire to remain in Germany until the full conclusion of judicial processes involving him there. The 55-year-old was recently released from custody at the Neumuenster prison after posting bail of 75,000 euros (93,000 U.S. dollars) and must still regularly report his movements to local police.

Spanish authorities accuse Puigdemont of having acted in breach of the country's constitution by holding a referendum on Catalan independence in October 2017, as well as misappropriating 1.5 million euros (1.86 million U.S. dollars) in public funds to organize the vote before fleeing to Belgium. Nevertheless, Madrid has announced that it would respect any decision reached by German judicial authorities on the suspect's extradition. Enditem