Spain’s Supreme Court confirms trial of country’s Attorney General will go ahead

The legal woes facing Spain’s left-leaning coalition government resurfaced on Tuesday, as the country’s Attorney General was ordered to stand trial – just one day before the prime minister’s wife is due in court.

A wave of corruption probes involving relatives and former associates of socialist (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez has intensified political pressure, threatening the survival of his government. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez: ‘There are judges doing politics and politicians trying to do justice’.

Spain’s Supreme Court confirmed on Tuesday that Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz (main image, meeting with King Felipe VI on 3 Sept 2025) must face trial, setting bail at €150,000. He is accused of violating judicial secrecy by leaking information damaging to the right-wing opposition, the People’s Party (PP).

Prosecutors allege García Ortiz improperly disclosed documents relating to Alberto González Amador, a businessman investigated for suspected tax fraud and the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the PP president leading the Madrid regional assembly. ALSO READ: Partner of Madrid regional leader Ayuso faces alleged tax fraud probe.

The PP claims the leak was orchestrated by Sánchez’s allies to discredit Ayuso, one of the right’s most prominent figures. ALSO READ: Madrid leader’s partner takes legal steps to sue Pedro Sánchez for calling him a ‘criminal’.

García Ortiz, appointed by Sánchez’s cabinet in 2022, has rejected the accusations, insisting he never passed on information about González Amador – directly or through his office. His trial became unavoidable after his final appeal was dismissed in July, though no date has been set.

The PP renewed demands for his resignation on Tuesday. Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo posted on X: ‘The institutional damage to which Pedro Sánchez subjects our country is unbearable.’

On Wednesday, Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez is scheduled to appear before a Madrid court. She is accused of misusing public funds in a long-running case probing influence peddling and corruption. ALSO READ: Judge summons wife of Spanish PM to testify as a suspect of embezzlement.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gómez exploited her position for personal gain. The latest focus of the inquiry is whether a staffer from the prime minister’s office, Cristina Álvarez, worked for Gómez during her time at Madrid’s Complutense University.

Gómez has denied wrongdoing, telling a December 2024 hearing she had ‘nothing to hide’.

Sánchez has repeatedly dismissed the allegations against his wife, framing them as an orchestrated campaign by the right aimed at destabilising his government. Earlier this month, he accused his opponents of blurring the lines between politics and justice, saying, ‘There are judges who do politics and politicians who try to do justice.‘

The prime minister has also been rattled by other corruption cases implicating his brother and two former senior socialist officials.

His younger brother, David Sánchez, is being investigated on allegations of embezzlement, influence peddling and tax fraud. ALSO READ: Brother of Spanish prime minister to face trial for alleged influence peddling.

The scandals have also touched figures from within the PSOE party. Santos Cerdán, the prime minister’s former chief of staff, was arrested in June over suspected kickbacks tied to public contracts. ALSO READ: Judge orders pre-trial detention for PSOE’s former organisation secretary.

In the same case, former transport minister José Luis Ábalos and his adviser Koldo García remain under investigation. ALSO READ: Former Spanish transport minister denies corruption allegations in court.

ALSO READ: People’s Party now hit by alleged corruption scandal surrounding former finance minister.