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Carme Forcadell, free again

Forcadell has returned to Barcelona in her official vehicle and will resume her parliamentary duties Monday

The Speaker of the Catalan parliament, Carme Forcadell, was released yesterday after the ANC posted the bail of €150,000 demanded by the Supreme Court judge, Pablo Llanera, to evade prison. Forcadell’s defence lawyer, Andreu Van Den Eynde, deposited the cheque (with money collected by the ANC resistance fund) and handed over her passport, part of the ban on her leaving the state, one of the precautionary measures imposed. Investigated for the crimes of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement, Forcadell also must appear weekly before the Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) or any court appointed by the Supreme Court at its discretion.

Forcadell left the Alcala Meco prison in her official vehicle without stopping to speak to the press. Later in the trip she was applauded by people at a service station near Lleida when the driver stopped to fill the tank.

The Speaker will resume her normal duties this weekend and decide on the date to call the Paliamentary Standing Committee representing the political parties elected in the last elections.

The other members of the House Committee who were released last night, Lluís Maria Corominas, Lluís Guinó and Ramona Barrufet (del PDeCAT) and Anna Simó (ERC), have seven days to post the €25,000 bail imposed by the judge. Joan Josep Nuet (CSQP) was released without bail.

Forcadell received warm words of support from members of the government in Brussels. She also received the support of the Speaker of the Basque Parliament, Bakartxo Tejeria (PNV) who claimed that the charges against Forcadell and the other members of the Catalan parliament is an “attack on democracy”, which “violates” the separation of powers.

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