The Amnesty Law was the key to the start of this legislature, which ends with the endorsement of the EU Court of Justice. That law deepened the confrontation between a part of the judiciary and Sánchez’s Government. Now, Minister Félix Bolaños claims the effects of the amnesty and demands that it be fully applied as soon as possible.

The Supreme Court judge who instructed the procés case, Pablo Llarena, has yet to definitively close the matter regarding former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. The magistrate opposed applying the Amnesty law to the post-convergent leader, understanding that he personally profited from organizing the October 1, 2017 referendum and therefore is excluded from this legal benefit. Legal sources explained yesterday, in the discussions following the opening of the Judicial Year, that the magistrate will review the application of the statute of limitations as soon as the Constitutional Court evaluates the interpretation made by the instructor. His thesis, that the leaders of the procés enriched themselves by organizing the October 1 referendum because they did so with public money and not personal funds, is the same one upheld by the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court regarding those already convicted, such as former vice president Oriol Junqueras who requested to be granted amnesty and have his disqualification penalty canceled. All of them appealed to the Constitutional Court, which on the 22nd will review the first of the appeals for protection.