Lawyers for former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont vowed Tuesday to fight Spain's efforts to extradite him from Belgium on charges of sedition and misuse of public funds.
Spain, where courts this month jailed several of Puigdemont's allies, has demanded he be sent home to face justice for his part in a banned 2017 referendum.
According to the former regional president's legal team, Belgian prosecutors have advised a court honour Madrid's request, in a case that could last several months.
"The Belgian prosecutor agrees with this demand for extradition and of course we will discuss this and we will fight this," lawyer Paul Bekaert told reporters.
For his part, Puigdemont said simply he has confidence in the "independence and professionalism" of the Belgian court.
Puigdemont served as president of the Catalan region of Spain between January 2016 and October 2017, during which time he helped organise an independence referendum.
He fled Spain after attempting to declare independence on the back on the apparent result of the banned vote.
His latest arrest warrant was issued by Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena shortly after his court convicted several other Catalan separatist leaders on similar charges.
This month, renewed protests have erupted in the region, with police clashing with Catalan crowds angered by the lengthy prison sentences imposed by the Madrid court.AFP