Minister Félix Bolaños has sent a letter to the Asociación Judicial Francisco de Vitoria defending his statements on Judge Juan Carlos Peinado as an "objective fact". The association accused him of "personal targeting" after his criticisms of the probe into Begoña Gómez, wife of Pedro Sánchez. Bolaños claims his freedom of expression and notes annulled rulings.
Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, sent a letter to the Asociación Judicial Francisco de Vitoria (AJFV) responding to their accusations of "personal targeting" and "personal attack" against Judge Juan Carlos Peinado.
Bolaños defends that his words highlighted "an objective and extraordinary fact": around fifteen rulings issued by Peinado in the case against Begoña Gómez have been partially or fully annulled by the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid and the Supreme Court. Additionally, the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has pending complaints against the judge, including one from the minister himself. "This circumstance cannot be described as habitual; on the contrary, it is very abnormal," he states.
The trigger was Bolaños's statements after Peinado's order, from Madrid's Court of Instruction No. 41, proposing to try Begoña Gómez for malversation, influence peddling, corruption in business, and misappropriation of brand. It also implicates assistant Cristina Álvarez and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés. Bolaños said the case "shames" citizens, judges, and prosecutors, causing "irreparable damage" to justice's reputation, trusting higher courts to reverse it.
The AJFV deems it "inadmissible" for the Justice Minister to breach his duty of "prudence, restraint, and respect" toward the Judiciary, urging him to end the "dynamic of confrontation." Bolaños replies that judicial independence is "absolutely guaranteed" and reiterates his willingness for "loyal and constructive institutional dialogue.
The Prosecutor's Office has requested dismissal of the case, stating "there is no crime" and "retribution is zero."
