Spain's Constitutional Court will decide on October 6 how the amnesty law applies to the Catalan independence case, according to El Periódico. The outlet reports that a majority on the court backs a ruling drafted under its president, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, which would instruct Judge Pablo Llarena to apply the amnesty without delay.
El Periódico frames the decision as a test of the court's direction under Conde-Pumpido, with the majority lining up behind his position on the Bassa case. The ruling, as described by the outlet, would push Llarena to act immediately once it is issued.
The ruling is tied to the case of Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan president who has remained outside Spain. EL PAÍS reports that the Supreme Court expects to lift the arrest warrant for Puigdemont once it receives the Constitutional Court's endorsement, which is due on October 6.
Other Spanish outlets place the same decision in a wider political frame. El Confidencial says Conde-Pumpido is securing the chance to set the court's doctrine, which it describes as opening the door for Puigdemont to return. El Debate says he has announced a ruling of his own to amnesty the embezzlement charges in the procés and speed Puigdemont's return, which it argues would give the Sánchez government breathing room. El Mundo takes a critical line, calling the court's move a rescue of Puigdemont that comes too late for reconciliation.
What to watch: the October 6 ruling and whether the Supreme Court then moves on the arrest warrant.
