Spain’s Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz is set to stand trial for allegedly leaking confidential information related to a high-profile tax fraud investigation targeting Alberto González Amador, business partner of Madrid’s regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, according to Euractiv.
The Supreme Court confirmed “sufficient evidence” of García Ortiz’s involvement in an “alleged crime of disclosure of secrets” after a months-long probe, citing his role in exposing a protected email detailing plea negotiations in González Amador’s case.
According to Supreme Court Judge Ángel Hurtado’s ruling, Madrid’s provincial prosecutor Pilar Rodríguez—also implicated—forwarded the confidential email to García Ortiz at his private account “following instructions received from the presidency of the Spanish government” rather than through official channels.
The email contained a draft settlement proposal from González Amador’s lawyer, Carlos Neira. García Ortiz then allegedly provided it to Cadena SER, which published the details hours later.
The ruling noted García Ortiz obstructed justice by changing his mobile phone, erasing potential evidence. Prosecutors dismissed García Ortiz’s defence that the leak caused no harm since media had already reported settlement talks.
The case intensified Spain’s bitter left-right divide. Justice Minister Félix Bolaños immediately declared the government’s “full confidence” in García Ortiz, calling him an “exemplary public servant” and denying any executive involvement in the leak. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo (PP) demanded García Ortiz’s resignation.
The scandal erupts amid nationwide turmoil, with 50,000 protesters gathering in Madrid days earlier to demand Sánchez’s resignation over corruption allegations involving his wife and brother.
