Spain’s Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz (main image), appeared in court on Monday to face charges of leaking confidential information, in what has been described as a historic and politically charged trial that casts a shadow over Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s left-leaning coalition government.
This marks the first time in Spain’s modern era that a sitting attorney general has faced criminal proceedings. The case is one of several recent legal controversies involving figures connected to Sánchez.
Prosecutors allege that García Ortiz disclosed to journalists an email sent by a lawyer representing the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the powerful president of Madrid’s regional government and a leading figure in Spain’s right-wing opposition, the People’s Party (PP).
Ayuso’s partner, businessman Alberto González Amador, is being investigated for alleged tax fraud. García Ortiz has denied any wrongdoing and has been publicly backed by Sánchez on multiple occasions.
The case lies at the centre of the bitter political rift between Spain’s socialist PSOE-led national government and Madrid’s right-wing regional administration. The proceedings are expected to wrap up next week. ALSO READ: Spanish PM denies corruption in rowdy senate hearing, calling it a ‘circus’ and ‘witch hunt’.
García Ortiz was appointed attorney general in 2022 by Sánchez’s government.
Meanwhile, two former senior PSOE officials are under separate corruption investigations, alongside probes involving the prime minister’s wife and brother. Though Sánchez himself has not been implicated, the widening scandals have periodically threatened his administration’s stability.
Referring to the inquiry into his wife Begoña Gómez’s business activities, Sánchez has maintained that some judges are pursuing cases driven by political motives. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez: ‘There are judges doing politics and politicians trying to do justice’.
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El fiscal general niega que filtrara el correo del novio de Ayuso y su defensa denuncia una “instrucción inquisitiva”https://t.co/WzeT2sfCVC https://t.co/6J2Q7Cp8Gu
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) November 3, 2025
🔴 Primeras imágenes de Álvaro García Ortiz en el juicio contra él por presuntamente haber filtrado información del novio de Ayuso. Es la primera vez que un fiscal general del Estado es juzgado mientras ejerce sus funciones en el cargo https://t.co/o9eZG6gyQY pic.twitter.com/CmImXht2Mr
— Europa Press (@europapress) November 3, 2025
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