Image caption Prof Ponsatí returned to St Andrews University after fleeing Spain

A former Catalan minister who fled Spain to return to Scotland is preparing to hand herself in to police.

A European arrest warrant was issued for Clara Ponsatí on Friday.

Police Scotland confirmed they were in possession of the warrant and had attempted to trace the former Catalan education minister on Sunday.

After being contacted by her solicitor, police said arrangements were being made for Ms Ponsatí to hand herself in to police.

Clara Ponsatí was serving in the Catalan government when it declared independence from Spain in October.

She fled to Brussels with former leader Carles Puigdemont, then returned to the University of St Andrews where she had previously worked.

A Spanish judge reactivated warrants for Mr Puigdemont, Ms Ponsatí and three other former ministers on Friday.

Mr Puigdemont has now been detained in Germany, his lawyer confirmed on Sunday.

Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she supported the right of the Catalan people to determine their own future but the Scottish authorities were obliged to follow due process and ministers were not permitted to intervene.

She added: "We strongly oppose the Spanish government's decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

"The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views."

Spain's central government took direct control of Catalonia and sacked officials, following the region's banned independence referendum in October.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and Prof Ponsatí in Brussels at the start of February

Ms Ponsatí escaped to Belgium from Spain along with Mr Puigdemont and three of his former ministers days after the independence declaration.

International arrest warrants were issued for all five but they were later withdrawn.

Ms Ponsatí later returned to St Andrews University where she had been director of the school of economics and finance before taking up her role as Catalan education minister last summer.

A spokesman for St Andrews said: '"We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully."</s>A former member of Catalonia's regional government is preparing to hand herself in to police in Scotland after a European arrest warrant was issued, the force has said.

A former member of Catalonia's regional government is preparing to hand herself in to police in Scotland after a European arrest warrant was issued, the force has said.

A Spanish judge issued arrest warrants on Friday for Ms Ponsati and other fugitive politicians including Catalonia's ex-leader Carles Puigdemont, who has now been detained by German police. A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We can confirm we are in possession of a European arrest warrant for Clara Ponsati.

"We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsati to hand herself into police." Earlier this month Ms Ponsati revealed on social media that she had returned to working at the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.

She had been in Belgium since fleeing Spain along with Mr Puigdemont and three other former cabinet members following an unsuccessful bid to declare independence from Spain in October. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "It is well established that the Scottish Government supports the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future and that we strongly oppose the Spanish Government's decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

"The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views. "Under the Extradition Act 2003, Scottish ministers have no role in the determination of European Arrest Warrants.

"Our police, prosecution service and courts are independent and are legally obliged under this UK legislation to fulfil their responsibilities. Scottish ministers have no powers to intervene in this process.

"However, the legal process includes the right of any individual subject to proceedings under the 2003 Act to oppose their extradition in the courts and it is vital that the integrity of this process is protected - for that reason the Scottish Government will not comment further at this stage."</s>A European arrest warrant has been issued for the Catalan government's former education minister, who is now living in Scotland.

Clara Ponsatí was charged with rebellion following the regional government's attempt to declare independence from Spain last year.

After initially moving to Belgium to escape prosecution, she came to Scotland where she is an academic at St Andrews University.

Police Scotland said they had been in touch with Ms Ponsatí's lawyer and they expected her to hand herself in.

A Spanish Supreme Court judge issued an indictment on Friday relating to charges against five former Catalan government ministers.

This led to former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont being arrested in Germany.

Ms Ponsatí is chair of Economics at St Andrews University.

A spokesman for the university said: "We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully."

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "We can confirm that we are in possession of a European arrest warrant for Clara Ponsatí.

"We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsatí to hand herself into police."

Download: The STV News app is Scotland's favourite and is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from Google Play. Download it today and continue to enjoy STV News wherever you are.</s>The lawyer representing a former Catalan minister being threatened with legal action in Spain has said she will hand herself in to Police Scotland.

Aamar Anwar said he had spoken to the authorities on behalf of Clara Ponsati

He expects her to attend an Edinburgh police station within "the next few days".

Ms Ponsati, who was education minister in the Catalan government, was made the subject of a European arrest warrant on Friday.

The Spanish authorities are pursuing Catalan leaders for their role in holding an independence referendum.

Ms Ponsati, along with other democratic politicians in Catalonia, faces charges of rebellion and sedition which could see her spend 30 years in jail.

Mr Anwar told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme: "My instructions are that this is a political persecution - a systematic attempt to criminalise the desire for independence.

"We believe that if she is sent back to Spain then she will suffer inhumane and degrading treatment and that the independence of the judiciary in Spain cannot be guaranteed.

"Quite frankly the charge of rebellion that Clara faces is a charge of rebellion with violence against the unity of the Spanish state, which means she faces up to 30 years in prison."

He added: "What she was, was an education minister."

Ms Ponsati fled to Brussels with former leader Carles Puigdemont, then returned to the University of St Andrews where she had previously worked.

A Spanish judge reactivated warrants for Mr Puigdemont, Ms Ponsati and three other former ministers on Friday.

Mr Puigdemont has now been detained in Germany, his lawyer confirmed on Sunday.

Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she supported the right of the Catalan people to determine their own future but the Scottish authorities were obliged to follow due process and ministers were not permitted to intervene.

She added: "We strongly oppose the Spanish government's decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

"The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views."

Spain's central government took direct control of Catalonia and sacked officials, following the region's banned independence referendum in October.

A spokesman for St Andrews said: '"We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully."

Karen Todner has worked on many high-profile extradition cases including those of the hackers Gary McKinnon and Lauri Love.

The lawyer told BBC Scotland she thinks Ms Ponsati has two grounds on which to challenge the European Arrest Warrant.

Firstly, Ms Todner said Scotland could only extradite suspects if the alleged offence was also punishable under Scots law.

She said sedition was not a criminal offence in Scotland, although there is a crime of treason, which covers crime of disloyalty to the Crown.

Ms Todner also said the request for extradition could be challenged if it was shown to be "not properly motivated".

"If this can be shown to be a politically motivated request for an extradition warrant then she could defeat the application for extradition," she said.

The lawyer said it was rare for European Arrest Warrants to be refused because they were politically motivated.

"Obviously, as part of the European Union we are supposed to believe that all requests are fair and proper," she said.

"For something to be politically motivated in the European system is very unusual."

Ms Todner said the extradition decision was purely for the Scottish courts to decide and there could not be any interference from the Scottish government.

She said Ms Ponsati would appear in court within 48 hours of her arrest but the extradition hearing would take months and could then be challenged all the way to High Court.

"This is a process that could go on for quite a while," she said.

"Extradition is not about guilt or innocence.

"It is about matters such as human rights and whether any political influence is coming forward in the extradition process.

"One of the key things about the European Arrest Warrant system is that there is no evidence called in respect of the actual case.

"The defendant will not see the evidence. It is literally whether they will be dealt with fairly in the requesting country."

Former presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, Tricia Marwick, told BBC Scotland the judicial process had been "tainted" by politics in Spain.

"The Spanish prime minister is quite clearly using the judiciary to solve what should be a political problem, not a legal problem," she said.

"It seems difficult to escape the conclusion that people are being persecuted for winning a vote."

Before the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s Catalonia enjoyed broad autonomy from Spain but that was suppressed under the leadership of military dictator General Franco.

When Franco died, the region was granted autonomy again under the 1978 constitution.

Ms Marwick, a former SNP MSP, said there were "echoes of Francoism" in the actions of the Spanish government.

"That maybe because Francoism in Spain never actually disappeared," she said.</s>Police Scotland are seeking to arrest a former Catalan minister who returned to work at St Andrews University after fleeing Spai

Clara Ponsatí was the education minister in the Catalan government when it declared independence from Spain last October following an unofficial referendum.

Ponsatí fled to Brussels with Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and three others, days after the vote, but is currently living near St Andrews.

Ponsatí had previously been director of the School of Economics and Finance at St Andrews before leaving for Spain to take up her role as Catalan education minister.

She then headed back to Scotland after the Spanish state started arresting leading Catalan politicians.

A European arrest warrant was issued for her arrest on Friday.

Police Scotland have now confirmed they are in possession of the warrant.

A police statement said: "We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsati to hand herself into police."

Madrid took direct control of Catalonia and sacked all officials following the independence referendum in October last year in Catalan which had been banned by the Spanish state.

A spokesman for St Andrews said: '"We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully."</s>The lawyer representing a former Catalan minister being threatened with legal action in Spain has said she will hand herself in to Police Scotland.

Aamar Anwar said he has spoken to the authorities on behalf of Clara Ponsatí

He expects her to attend an Edinburgh police station within "the next few days".

Ms Ponsatí, who was education minister in the Catalan government, was made the subject of a European arrest warrant on Friday.

The Spanish authorities are pursuing Catalan leaders for their role in holding an independence referendum.

Ms Ponsatí, along with other democratic politicians in Catalonia, faces charges of rebellion which could see her spend 30 years in jail.

Mr Anwar told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme: "My instructions are that this is a political persecution - a systematic attempt to criminalise the desire for independence.

"We believe that if she is sent back to Spain then she will suffer inhumane and degrading treatment and that the independence of the judiciary in Spain cannot be guaranteed.

"Quite frankly the charge of rebellion that Clara faces is a charge of rebellion with violence against the unity of the Spanish state, which means she faces up to 30 years in prison."

He added: "What she was, was an education minister."

Ms Ponsatí fled to Brussels with former leader Carles Puigdemont, then returned to the University of St Andrews where she had previously worked.

A Spanish judge reactivated warrants for Mr Puigdemont, Ms Ponsatí and three other former ministers on Friday.

Mr Puigdemont has now been detained in Germany, his lawyer confirmed on Sunday.

Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said she supported the right of the Catalan people to determine their own future but the Scottish authorities were obliged to follow due process and ministers were not permitted to intervene.

She added: "We strongly oppose the Spanish government's decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

"The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views."

Spain's central government took direct control of Catalonia and sacked officials, following the region's banned independence referendum in October.

A spokesman for St Andrews said: '"We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully."</s>Nicola Sturgeon has said she cannot intervene to stop the arrest of a Catalan leader in Scotland who is now subject of a European Arrest warrant.

Police Scotland are seeking to arrest Clara Ponsati, who was the education minister in the Catalan government, after she returned to work at St Andrews University.

It follows a European Arrest warrant being issued against her last week. The exiled Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has already been arrested in Germany as the fallout continues from Catalonia’s declaration of independence from Spain last year.

The SNP Government has voiced its sympathy with its “sister” Catalan independence movement

Ms Sturgeon said: “It is well established that the Scottish Government supports the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future and that we strongly oppose the Spanish Government’s decision to seek the arrest and imprisonment of independence supporting politicians.

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“The fact that our justice system is legally obliged to follow due process in the determination of extradition requests does not change those views.”

Under the Extradition Act 2003, Scottish Ministers have no role in the determination of European Arrest Warrants.

The First Minister added: “ Our police, prosecution service and courts are independent and are legally obliged under this UK legislation to fulfil their responsibilities. Scottish Ministers have no powers to intervene in this process.

“However, the legal process includes the right of any individual subject to proceedings under the 2003 Act to oppose their extradition in the courts and it is vital that the integrity of this process is protected - for that reason the Scottish Government will not comment further at this stage.”

Police Scotland have now confirmed they are in possession of the warrant.

A police statement said: “We have made a number of enquiries to try to trace her and have now been contacted by her solicitor, who is making arrangements for Ms Ponsati to hand herself into police.”</s>A European arrest warrant has been reissued for a former Catalan minister who returned to Scotland after fleeing Spain.

Clara Ponsatí was education minister in the Catalan government when it declared independence from Spain in October.

She fled to Brussels with former leader Carles Puigdemont but has now returned to the University of St Andrews.

A Spanish judge reactivated warrants for Mr Puigdemont, Ms Ponsatí and three other former ministers on Friday.

Mr Puigdemont has now been detained in Germany, his lawyer confirmed on Sunday.

Spain's central government took direct control of Catalonia and sacked officials, following the region's banned independence referendum in October.

Ms Ponsatí escaped to Belgium from Spain along with Mr Puigdemont and three of his former ministers days after the independence declaration.

International arrest warrants were issued for all five but they were later withdrawn.

Ms Ponsatí later returned to St Andrews University where she had been director of the school of economics and finance before taking up her role as Catalan education minister last summer.

A spokesman for St Andrews said: '"We're aware that a warrant has been issued, we're staying in close touch with Clara and will continue to monitor developments very carefully."
Fugitive ex-minister Clara Ponsatí i Obiols says she will hand herself over to Police Scotland, who have received a copy of the European Arrest Warrant for her.