Spain’s political divisions have widened after the country’s top prosecutor was convicted of leaking confidential information against the conservative opposition.
How was the verdict received?
The Supreme Court released its verdict against Álvaro García Ortiz on Thursday, with the legal reasoning of its decision to be published later.
Five of the seven judges who heard the case earlier this month found him guilty.
García Ortiz, appointed by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government in 2022, was condemned for leaking details of a tax probe involving the partner of Madrid’s regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a conservative figurehead.
“There is a split between those who think he was guilty and those who think he was innocent,” political scientist Paloma Román told AFP.
The fact that the verdict was not unanimous highlights the political polarisation surrounding the case, she added.
READ ALSO: Prosecutor calls for acquittal as trial of Spain’s attorney general wraps up
What are the consequences for Sánchez?
Sánchez, who repeatedly supported García Ortiz despite accusations he was undermining the independence of the judiciary, faces a political blow.
The opposition swiftly demanded his resignation, calling the case an “abuse of power” and a “gross political manoeuvre”.
Conservative daily El Mundo accused the government in an editorial of orchestrating the prosecutor’s actions as part of a “political operation” to target Díaz Ayuso.
The government, meanwhile, said it respects the ruling without fully agreeing with its conclusions.
Sánchez is unlikely to step down despite the fragility of his minority coalition government, which recently lost the backing of Catalan separatist party Junts.
“It’s a blow to the government, but in politics, one has to wait. Sánchez could still turn the situation around,” Román said, saying the court still must give its legal reasoning.
“It wouldn’t be the first time Pedro Sánchez flipped a situation, so it didn’t end up being that bad for him.”
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What are the consequences for justice?
The ruling has reignited debate over the political independence of Spain’s judiciary.
Critics say the case undermines public trust, with some seeing the courts as politically motivated and others as eager to target the government.
In an editorial, El Mundo criticised the government for having “defended the attorney general without qualification while caricaturing judges as a predominantly right-wing group”.
But centre-left daily El Pais countered 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 added that perceptions of judicial bias often depend on political alignment, adding that some court decisions appear incomprehensible even to legal experts.
“It’s very subjective: when a party or political group suffers or experiences a setback in court” they blame it on political bias, she said.
