Carles Puigdemont, a fugitive Catalan separatist, has returned to Belgium after a brief visit to Barcelona, during which the police failed to arrest him.

His lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, stated that Puigdemont is no longer in Spain and will never surrender.

Lluís Llach, a Catalan singer and nationalist, confirmed that Puigdemont is 'safe, sound, and above all, free.

' Jordi Turull, the secretary-general of Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia party, mentioned that Puigdemont had returned to his home in Waterloo, Belgium, after arriving in Barcelona on Tuesday evening.

Turull claimed that Puigdemont intended to surrender to the police inside the parliament building but was deterred by the 'increasingly aggressive' police presence.

Eventually, Puigdemont decided not to turn himself in to avoid embarrassing the Catalan police.

However, video evidence suggests that Puigdemont made no effort to reach the parliament and left directly in a waiting car.

Puigdemont has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium since fleeing Spain to avoid arrest for organizing an illegal independence referendum in 2017.

Nine members of his government received jail sentences of up to 13 years for their roles in the independence push, but they were pardoned in 2021.

Despite a deal between Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Catalan separatist MPs to help Sánchez return to power, Spain's supreme court upheld arrest warrants for Puigdemont and others charged with misuse of public funds, ruling that the amnesty law did not apply to them.

Puigdemont maintains that the vote was not illegal and that the charges have no basis.

Pablo Llarena, the supreme court judge attempting to arrest Puigdemont, demanded an explanation from the Catalan police (Mossos d'Esquadra) about how Puigdemont evaded arrest.

Eduard Sallent, the commissioner of the Mossos d'Esquadra, denied any deal with Puigdemont and stated that the plan was to arrest him in Ciutadella park, but officers were unable to reach him due to a mass of people.

Acting Catalan interior minister Joan Ignasi Elena criticized Puigdemont for trying to disrupt the investiture of the new Catalan president and announced an internal investigation into the failure to arrest Puigdemont.

Puigdemont's brief appearance and disappearance overshadowed the investiture of pro-union Catalan Socialist party MP Salvador Illa as president.

Although Puigdemont told his supporters that the fight for Catalan independence was not over, his return and swift departure are seen as a farewell concert.

Spanish justice minister Félix Bolaños described Puigdemont's visit as an incident that offered nothing to Catalan society and marked the end of a decade of sterile confrontation.

In the recent regional election, Catalans overwhelmingly voted for Illa, a socialist with a non-nationalist agenda.

Illa emphasized the need for Catalonia to address unresolved political conflicts and focus on social issues such as housing and education.

Despite being one of Spain's wealthiest regions, Catalonia has some of the worst educational results in the country, and housing costs in Barcelona have risen significantly over the past decade.

Laia Estrada, spokesperson for the left-wing nationalist Popular Unity Candidacy party, declared the end of the independence drive at an institutional level.

Prime Minister Sánchez congratulated Illa on becoming president, highlighting his love for Catalonia and his capacity for work.

The national government has declined to comment on Puigdemont's visit, while the opposition has called for the resignation of the interior and defense ministers over the failure to arrest Puigdemont.