New arrest warrant issued for St Andrews academic in the Economics department

An academic in the Economics department has been issued a Europe-wide arrest warrant.

She faces extradition to Spain to be trialed for sedition.

Clara Ponsatí, a professor in the School of Economics and Finance, denies any wrongdoing. She is being accused of sedition over her role in the independence referendum held in Catalonia in 2017.

A previous warrant for her arrest was cancelled last summer but it has now been renewed. She has been called back to Spain, where she served as the education minister in the Catalan government, to stand trial.

Professor Ponsatí is currently living in Edinburgh and is regularly appearing for interviews in which she says she will resist attempts for extradition.

She was expected to appear in court in Edinburgh this Thursday and she is being represented by lawyers in the UK.

However, she has just announced on Twitter that her hearing has been delayed in an attempt to seek greater legal clarity.

After her previous arrest warrant was dropped, Professor Ponsatí told the media that if another warrant were to be issued she would hand herself into Scottish police.

As it stands, it would be up to the judge at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to decide whether she should be extradited to Spain to stand trial.