A high-profile trial has begun in Spain’s Supreme Court against the country’s Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, who stands accused of disclosing official secrets. On the very first day of hearings, the State Attorney’s Office demanded that all investigative actions be declared invalid, citing numerous violations of the defendant’s rights and claiming the investigation was excessively harsh.
According to the defense, the investigation was biased from the outset, and the entire process was structured solely to collect evidence against García Ortiz. Particularly contentious were the searches of his office and the examination of his electronic devices, where, it is claimed, messages and emails were deleted. Lawyers argue that these actions breached fundamental guarantees of a fair trial.
The prosecution has joined in the accusations, also demanding that the results of the search in the office of Madrid Prosecutor’s Office head Pilar Rodríguez be invalidated. The prosecution maintains that Rodríguez was not considered a potential source of the information leak, which calls the objectivity of the investigation into question.
The proceedings opened with testimony from the first witness—prosecutor Julián Salto, who previously handled a tax fraud case involving Alberto González Amador, a partner of a well-known political figure. The witness described how information in the case was obtained and shared, emphasizing that he acted within the law and under instructions from his superiors.
An unprecedented case and new rules
This is the first time in modern Spanish history that a sitting Attorney General faces prosecution. Established protocols were broken from the outset: García Ortiz entered the Supreme Court building through the entrance reserved for judges and high-ranking officials, and attended the hearing in his prosecutor’s robe, sitting beside his lawyers.
The scandal surrounding this case has already sparked a strong reaction in legal circles and among the public. Many experts warn that this approach to the investigation could set a dangerous precedent for the entire judicial system. Questions about the rights of the accused and the legality of investigative methods remain unresolved, and the outcome could influence the future practice of Spanish courts.
