Speaking at a press conference, Torra demanded an explanation from the Spanish government, which the Catalan leader said "allowed, facilitated, and welcomed the escape of a person … who was under investigation in a high-profile corruption case," as quoted by the agency.
The Catalan leader also asked Roger Torrent, the speaker of the regional parliament, to call an emergency session to debate the former monarch’s absence, adding that Felipe VI should abdicate the throne due to the ongoing situation, as reported by the agency.
On Monday, Juan Carlos I’s lawyer Javier Sanchez-Junco said that the former monarch would remain available to speak with Spanish prosecutors despite his absence from the country.
The Spanish Supreme Court began investigating the former monarch in June, in relation to a 2011 deal that saw Spanish firms awarded a contract worth 6.7 billion euros ($7.8 billion) to construct a high-speed railroad link between the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina.