Former Catalan Cabinet members appear before Supreme Court

A Spanish Supreme court judge has started the hearing for eight former Catalan cabinet members and two separatist
activists currently in custody.

Sacked regional vice-president Oriol Junqueras, one of his ERC party’s main candidates for the election, has asked to be allowed to leave jail in order to campaign in the vote which was called by Madrid.
Activist Jordi Sanchez is also a candidate for Junts per Catalunya, the list led by former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont who is in self-imposed exile in Brussels pending a decision on a Spanish arrest warrant.

Junqueras and seven other former members of the Catalonia regional cabinet were jailed on November the 2 pending trial on charges of sedition, rebellion and misappropriation of funds.