The Progressive Union of Prosecutors (UPF) issued a harsh statement this Monday to denounce the “direct attack” against the “institution of the Public Prosecutor’s Office” that has been perpetrated, in its opinion, by declaring the attorney general as a defendant on January 29. of the State, Álvaro García Ortiz, and two of his subordinates on January 30 and February 5. The association – to which García Ortiz belongs and of which he was president – insists that the case of the investigating magistrate of the Supreme Court against the highest representative of the public ministry constitutes an “authentic witch hunt”, which is based on a lack of summary of evidence and that ignores the “solid contraindications that should immediately lead to the archiving of this procedure.”
“The UPF expresses its absolute disagreement and perplexity at this accusation, which involves criminalizing the normal functioning of the institution of the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” emphasizes the note from the group, which in December the work of the judge. Early this Monday morning, Hurtado set the date to formally interrogate García Ortiz as a defendant, accused of leaking an email from the lawyer of Alberto González Amador, boyfriend of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid. In addition, the magistrate has indicated that he will take a statement as investigated from Pilar Rodríguez (January 30), chief provincial prosecutor of Madrid, who was already charged; and Diego Villafañe (February 5), lieutenant prosecutor of the technical secretariat of the State Attorney General’s Office, whom he has put in the target for the first time.
“The investigation by the lieutenant prosecutor of the technical secretary and the summons to formally testify as investigated by the Attorney General and the provincial chief prosecutor of Madrid, far from arguing some incriminating evidence, is describing the normal and ordinary functioning of the entire institution” , continues the UPF statement, in reference to the presentation that Hurtado makes in his resolution this Monday. In his writing, the magistrate describes the exchange of messages that occurred between the members of the State Attorney General’s Office on March 13, after The World published distorted information that stated that the public ministry had offered an agreement to González Amador to recognize two tax crimes to avoid going to prison – it had actually been the other way around, since the agreement had come from the lawyer of Ayuso’s boyfriend.
The State Attorney General’s Office defends that these communications show that they got to work to dismantle the hoax through a press release that was published on March 14. However, before the dissemination of that note, (dated February 2, 2024) that dismantled the lie – which, precisely, the PP of Madrid and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez were spreading. The leadership of the public ministry denies that they leaked that emailbut Judge Hurtado considers that there are sufficient indications that he left there.
“The actions of all the prosecutors who intervened in the matter were exclusively technical-legal and were intended to inform public opinion regarding the fabrication of a hoax that, in addition to being untruthful, attacked the independence and professionalism of certain prosecutors and therefore of the Prosecutor’s Office as an institution,” underlines the UPF statement this Monday: “All of this leads us to consider that we are facing an unprecedented attack on the institution of the Prosecutor’s Office, on the daily work of prosecutors and to the rule of law […] The very functioning of the race is being attacked. “Spanish society must know that the autonomy of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, a fundamental piece of democratic Justice, is in real danger.”
