The Prosecutor's Office in the Valencian Community has opened a preliminary investigation into regional Vox deputies David Muñoz and Jesús Albiol, after an open-microphone recording captured them discussing information from a sealed judicial case in Nules, Castellón. The exchange took place during a break in the Valencian Parliament’s Economy, Budgets and Finance Committee session on July 15. The PSPV-PSOE later filed a formal complaint, prompting the prosecutor to assign an investigator.
Information from a prosecutor's document reviewed by EL PAÍS, one deputy said he had personal information about a person under investigation in the Nules case and attributed it to a prosecutor. The conversation also included a reference to socialist deputy Alicia Andújar as a “bruja,” a remark criticized for its sexist undertones. The inquiry will examine whether confidential information was improperly accessed or disclosed. Its opening does not amount to a formal charge or establish criminal liability.
The underlying judicial matter concerns the dismantling of an alleged human-trafficking network in Nules. Muñoz reportedly claimed to know personal details about someone under investigation, while Albiol reacted with surprise to the use of privileged information, including an apparent reference to a PSOE representative. The deputies also discussed Andújar’s tone and conduct. That brought the alleged handling of judicial information and the treatment of a female colleague into the same political controversy.
Andújar, a PSPV-PSOE deputy in Les Corts Valencianes, condemned the reported remark as sexist. She argued that it reflected an expectation that women in politics should remain quiet and non-confrontational. The PSPV-PSOE called the incident “very serious” and sought a thorough investigation into the alleged disclosure of confidential judicial information. The inquiry remains at the investigative stage; no court has found that either deputy committed an offence.
The episode has renewed attention to the handling of sensitive information in judicial proceedings and political institutions. It also echoes other controversies involving judicial secrecy, including the transfer of the Leire Díez case to the Audiencia Nacional after a Madrid judge relinquished control to Judge Santiago Pedraz. For more on similar judicial developments, see the analysis of the recent transfer of a high-profile case to the National Court.
Spanish law protects the confidentiality of certain judicial proceedings. The legal significance of an alleged disclosure depends on the information involved and how it was accessed or shared. The investigation will examine whether the deputies’ conduct breached those obligations. Its outcome could affect parliamentary conduct and relations between elected representatives and the judiciary in the Valencian Community.
