Judge jails, sets bail for top lawmaker in Catalonia probe

MADRID -- A Spanish judge jailed Catalonia's top lawmaker Thursday in a rebellion probe stemming from an independence declaration, but set Carme Forcadell's bail at 150,000 euros ($175,000) and ordered her passport to be confiscated as the investigation continues.

Forcadell is speaker of the regional parliament whose separatist lawmakers passed a declaration to proclaim Catalonia as a new republic. She was sent to a jail near Madrid late Thursday, but was expected to get out after making bail today.

Spain's Constitutional Court warned the Oct. 27 vote in the Catalan Parliament would be illegal, and most opposition lawmakers boycotted the session.

The Spanish government immediately seized control of the wealthy northeastern region, the first time in the four decades since Gen. Francisco Franco's dictatorship ended that Madrid removed powers from any of the country's 17 regions.

Central authorities also dismissed the Catalonia's regional president and his government, who now also are jailed on preliminary rebellion charges or fighting extradition to Spain from Belgium. Spain also dissolved the parliament and called a new regional election for Dec. 21.

Prosecutors are pursuing charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement against 20 regional representatives in all. The crimes are punishable by up to 30 years of imprisonment under Spanish law.

Spain Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena questioned Forcadell and five other members of the Catalan parliament's governing body Thursday for more than 10 hours before deciding whether to jail them.

In his ruling, Llarena wrote all "have expressed that either they renounce future political activity or, those who want to remain active, will do it renouncing any actions outside the constitutional framework."

The judge set a 25,000-euro ($29,000) bail to be paid in one week for four of the lawmakers, and released from custody another who had made the Oct. 27 independence vote possible by allowing a debate on secession but opposed the declaration of a separate republic.

While appearing in court for questioning, Forcadell described the independence declaration as "symbolic," according to lawyers familiar with her testimony.

The lawyers asked not to be named because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the court proceedings.

Catalonia's deposed regional president, Carles Puigdemont, and four of his former Cabinet members fled to Brussels, where they are fighting Spanish arrest and extradition orders.

In a letter posted on social media Thursday, the five called on voters to support pro-secession parties in Catalonia's upcoming regional election

"It's time to drive away from the (Catalan) institutions those who want to own them with a coup d'etat," Puigdemont tweeted, referring to Spain's decision to assume control of the region.

Puigdemont, who is likely to run as the regional presidential candidate for his center-right PDeCAT party, says he went to Belgium to rally European support for the Catalan cause, not to evade justice.

Although no country has publicly sided so far with the Catalan officials removed from office, the ousted Catalan Cabinet members criticized the European Union in their letter for turning a blind eye to Catalonia's plight.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Thursday that his government has "100 percent backing" from other EU countries in its handling of the Catalonia crisis.

Rajoy said Thursday that he hoped voters "meet their obligations as Spaniards and Europeans" in next month's regional election. The prime minister thinks a majority of Catalans don't want to break away from Spain and urged a large turnout.

Eight members of the now-dismissed Catalan Cabinet and two activists have already been jailed as the country's National Court studies whether to charge them with various crimes for allegedly creating and executing a plan to break away from Spain.

One ex-Cabinet member was released on bail, but remains a suspect in the investigation.

Forcadell remains the parliament's president, heading a commission of two dozen lawmakers during the transitional period to the Dec. 21 election.

Around 100 supporters chanted "You are not alone" as the lawmakers entered the Supreme Court building in central Madrid on Thursday, while police kept at bay a handful of anti-independence protesters carrying Spanish flags and shouting, "You don't fool us, Catalonia is Spain."

Fina Surina, 48, traveled overnight for nine hours from the Catalan town of Besalu to accompany the lawmakers.

They "are making a great personal sacrifice in the long-run struggle for independence," she said.

Catalonia, with 7.5 million people, represents a fifth of Spain's gross domestic product. Polls show that Catalans are roughly evenly divided over whether to seek independence or remain part of Spain.

The regional separatist authorities claimed a banned Oct. 1 secession referendum gave them a mandate to declare independence.