Raül Romeva

Raül Romeva i Rueda (born 12 March 1971) is a Spanish politician from Catalonia and a former Member of the European Parliament with the Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, part of the European Greens. He sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. In the Catalan parliamentary election of 2015 he led the Pro-Independence electoral list, Together for Yes. He was named Minister for External and Institutional Relations, and Transparency in the Catalan Regional Government under President Carles Puigdemont on January 14, 2016 before his role was revoked by the Spanish Government on the 27th of October 2017, as part of the application of the constitution's article 155. Romeva i Rueda has been under investigation by the Office of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia for the alleged crimes of malfeasance, disobeying Spain's Constitutional Tribunal and the embezzlement of public funds, after he signed a Decree issued by the Catalonian parliament which called for the celebration of a self-determination referendum, alongside other members of Catalonia's regional government. According to Spanish Constitution, article 149.1.32, organizing a referendum is exclusive competence of the Spanish State. The Audiencia Nacional court claimed the referendum as illegal under a sentence by Judge Carmen Lamela. He was jailed on 2 November 2017, and again on 23 March 2018, charged with rebellion and sedition crimes.