The fourth session of the high-profile trial against Spain’s Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, has concluded in Madrid. This time, journalists took the stand, providing crucial testimony for the defense. They confidently stated that they knew about lawyer González Amador’s admission of tax violations long before the related letter reached the head of the prosecutor’s office.
The trial, unprecedented in Spanish history for involving such a senior prosecutor, is gradually losing its intensity. After questioning eight witnesses—including media representatives and prosecution staff—the case for the prosecution appears to have weakened. Journalists from leading Spanish newspapers and radio stations testified that they were aware of the lawyer’s attempt to negotiate with the prosecution over tax fraud before García Ortiz officially received the letter. Their accounts corroborated earlier testimony from colleagues at other media outlets.
Turning Point: The Role of Journalists and Prosecutors
Particular attention was drawn to details involving a journalist from radio station SER, who was the first to report the existence of the lawyer’s letter. He described how, in the midst of a media frenzy, he managed to review the document’s contents at the office of one of his sources, but published the story only after obtaining permission. The journalist emphasized that his informant was not García Ortiz, and that attempts to reach García Ortiz by phone were unsuccessful—the call went unanswered.
Another witness, a former EL PAÍS journalist, confirmed that discussions on the topic began in the newsroom a day before the letter reached the attorney general. To support their statements, journalists provided notarized correspondence showing they had verified the information through lawyer González Amador. They specified their data source was within the Madrid prosecutor’s office circle, not the central office.
Prosecution loses ground
During the hearings, García Ortiz’s defense received additional backing from fellow prosecutors. One of them, responsible for data protection, highlighted the importance of regularly deleting electronic messages to prevent leaks. This point echoed the defendant’s own explanation, as he had previously said he erased his message history for security reasons.
Even witnesses called by the prosecution failed to clarify whether there was a leak. The dean of the Madrid Bar Association, appearing as a public representative, focused on criticizing the official statement from the prosecutor’s office but refused to discuss the actual letter leak. His stance did not help the prosecution make progress in finding evidence against García Ortiz.
A dramatic climax and startling moments in court
The trial did not go without its peculiarities: during questioning, a journalist’s mobile phone rang just as his attempt to call the prosecutor general on the day of the incident was being discussed. This incident further underlined how convoluted and detail-rich the story around González Amador’s lawyer’s letter had become.
In the end, after journalists and prosecutors spoke, the prosecution found itself in a difficult position. Testimony revealed that information about the admission of tax violations had reached the press independently of García Ortiz’s actions. This significantly weakened the prosecution’s case and cast doubt on the entire premise of the confidentiality breach.
