Spain’s Top Prosecutor Convicted in Leaking Case, Sparking Political Fallout
Madrid, Spain – Álvaro García Ortiz, spain’s former top prosecutor, was convicted Thursday by a 5-2 Supreme Court majority of leaking details from a tax probe involving the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative leader of Madrid. The verdict, with full legal reasoning too be released later, has ignited a political firestorm adn renewed debate over the independence of Spain’s judiciary.
García Ortiz,appointed by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in 2022,was found guilty of disclosing confidential information regarding the tax investigation. The opposition instantly called for Sánchez’s resignation, denouncing the case as an “abuse of power” and a “gross political manoeuvre.” Conservative newspaper El Mundo accused the government of orchestrating the leak as a “political operation” targeting Díaz Ayuso.
While the government stated it respects the ruling, it expressed disagreement with its conclusions. Despite the political pressure and the recent loss of support from the Catalan separatist party Junts, leaving his minority coalition government fragile, Sánchez is not expected to step down. “It’s a blow to the government, but in politics, one has to wait.Sánchez coudl still turn the situation around,” noted political scientist Paloma Román, adding, “It wouldn’t be the first time Pedro Sánchez flipped a situation, so it didn’t end up being that bad for him.”
The conviction has also deepened existing divisions regarding the impartiality of the Spanish judicial system. Critics on both sides argue the case undermines public trust, with some alleging political motivation within the courts and others claiming a bias against the government. El Mundo criticized the government for “defending the attorney general without qualification while caricaturing judges as a predominantly right-wing group.” Conversely, El País argued that “the precedents set by this case – from the lack of evidence to a more-than-questionable investigation – will affect the entire Spanish judicial system for a long time.”
Román emphasized the subjective nature of perceptions of judicial bias, stating, “It’s very subjective: when a party or political group suffers or experiences a setback in court” they blame it on political bias.
