Catalonia crisis: Spain high court summons Puigdemont and ministers

Spain’s high court has summoned fired Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, as well as 13 other members of his dismissed government, to appear later this week.

The high court also gave the members three days to pay a deposit of €6.2m to cover “potential liabilities”.

The summons came after Spain's chief prosecutor said he would press charges including rebellion, on Monday.

Puigdemont is currently in Belgium with several former ministers but has claimed that he was not there to seek asylum.

A crisis was triggered in Spain when an independence referendum was held, in early October, in the semi-autonomous region despite Madrid's opposition and the Constitutional Court declaring the vote illegal.

Spain's central government has now taken direct control of Catalonia.

Puigdemont turned up in Brussels on Monday as Spanish Attorney-General José Manuel Maza called for Catalan leaders to face charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

The Audiencia National has now summoned the sacked Catalan officials - who are yet to be formally charged - to testify on Thursday and Friday. If they do not appear, prosecutors could order their arrest.

Meanwhile, the speaker of Catalan's dissolved parliament Carme Forcadell and other former lawmakers have been summoned to the Supreme Court because they still have parliamentary immunity.

Puigdemont said earlier that he would return to Spain if guaranteed a fair hearing.

Several of Puigdemont's former colleagues who remain in Spain may decide to accept the summons and appear in court, reports the BBC's James Reynolds from Barcelona.

Prosecutors' arguments against the group were "serious, rational and logical", Judge Carmen Lamela said in a ruling, according to the AFP news agency.

The charge of rebellion carries a maximum 30-year jail term.