Spain’s chief prosecutor, the Attorney General, moved a step closer to standing trial on Monday in a legal leaks case that has become a political headache for socialist (PSOE) Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, after a court determined he may have violated judicial confidentiality.
Álvaro García Ortiz (main image) is accused of leaking confidential case documents related to the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the populist president of the Madrid region, governed by the right-wing People’s Party (PP). The incident is among a string of controversies weighing on Sánchez’s minority coalition administration. ALSO READ: Smear campaigns & ‘mafia practices’ – the alleged corruption saga against Spain’s PM rolls on.
In March last year, Spanish media published a preliminary agreement reportedly reached between the prosecutor’s office and the lawyer of businessman Alberto González Amador, who is being investigated for suspected tax evasion.
The reports indicated that Amador offered to plead guilty to the alleged charges in return for avoiding a criminal trial.
The PP opposition – as well as the far-right Vox party – have both called for García Ortiz’s resignation and alleged that the leak was orchestrated by Sánchez’s political allies. According to Spain’s EFE news agency, García Ortiz has said he will not resign and ‘maintains his innocence’ after being prosecuted for allegedly revealing secrets.
Spain’s Supreme Court launched a formal inquiry into García Ortiz in October, following a complaint from Amador. The latter’s healthcare company saw a surge in profits during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
García Ortiz, who was appointed by Sánchez’s government in 2022, has denied being behind the leak — either directly or via his office.
Supreme Court judge Ángel Luis Hurtado concluded there is enough evidence to potentially bring García Ortiz to trial, citing signs that he revealed details from a judicial probe, according to Spanish media reports.
The judge has granted the parties 10 days to submit statements or file appeals before making a final decision on whether to move the case to criminal court — the last step before trial proceedings begin.
Hurtado stated that Ortiz had given ‘publicity that should not have been given’ by sharing a ‘confidential’ email with multiple news outlets.
He also noted in the ruling – yet without giving any supporting evidence – that the prosecutor appeared to have acted ‘as a result of indications received from the presidency of the government’.
Justice Minister Félix Bolaños expressed unwavering support for García Ortiz and categorically denied that the government had instructed him to leak anything.
‘That never happened, and I deeply regret that the Supreme Court would make such a serious claim without any supporting evidence,’ Bolaños told reporters.
The controversy has intensified the legal and political challenges facing Sánchez, whose administration is already grappling with several other ongoing investigations involving members of his close circle.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Madrid to protest against the government in a rally organised by the PP, demanding early elections. ALSO READ: ‘Mafia or Democracy’ – tens of thousands join PP’s 6th anti-government rally in Madrid.
‘It’s time for the prosecutor — and whoever gave him his orders — to go,’ PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
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El fiscal general del Estado, Álvaro García Ortiz, anuncia que no va a dimitir y defiende su inocencia tras ser procesado por revelación de secretos. https://t.co/EAFKTrIaDm pic.twitter.com/HeFCHCvGfM
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) June 9, 2025
Es el momento de que se vaya el Fiscal General del Estado y quien le daba las indicaciones. pic.twitter.com/UN96ydTjAV
— Alberto Núñez Feijóo (@NunezFeijoo) June 9, 2025
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