Overview
- The former Catalan president is being treated at Barcelona’s Clínica Sagrada Família for a low‑severity pneumonia, with reports describing a stable condition that may require only a few days of hospitalization.
- A court‑appointed forensic doctor examined Pujol in Barcelona last week to inform whether he can travel to Madrid or give evidence by videoconference.
- The Audiencia Nacional could allow a remote appearance from Barcelona or, if he is deemed incapacitated, archive the case against him while proceedings continue for other defendants.
- The trial is set to open on November 24 with charges including illicit association, money laundering and tax offenses; prosecutors seek up to nine years for Pujol and between eight and 29 years for several of his children.
- Spanish procedure does not automatically suspend a hearing for sudden illness, and a close precedent exists after Marta Ferrusola was excluded from the case in 2021 for medical incapacity.