The Constitutional Court's ruling on the amnesty would bring Puigdemont's return closer to the end of the year.

The draft amnesty law prepared by the Constitutional Court for those prosecuted for the Catalan independence process, which was released this week, paves the way for the return of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who has been a fugitive in Belgium since 2017. But when could this return take place without Puigdemont running the risk of arrest?

Carlota Guindal, a courts editor at La Vanguardia, answers this question in the video preceding this article. Guindal, speaking with the newspaper's deputy editor, Enric Sierra, believes a plausible timeline for Puigdemont's return would be the end of this year or early 2026.

One of the reasons for this calendar calculation is that the president of the Constitutional Court, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, ends his term at the high court in January and his intention is to resolve all the appeals filed against the amnesty law. If these appeals support the claims of the prosecuted separatists, Puigdemont could return and, after appearing before the Supreme Court, would very likely be released.

The main stumbling block to be resolved in the coming months is the accusation of embezzlement against the former Catalan president, which the Supreme Court considers prevents the amnesty from being granted to Puigdemont. For this very reason, the Supreme Court has issued a warrant for his arrest.

Carlota Guindal details the steps Puigdemont should take and outlines the position the Supreme Court would adopt if the former president decides to return after the summer. According to the court specialist from La Vanguardia, the Supreme Court could decide to release him immediately given the direction of the Constitutional Court rulings upholding the amnesty law, and they could likely rule out embezzlement.