The Supreme Court has convicted former Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz for revealing confidential data on the procedural status of Alberto González Amador, partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, accused of tax fraud. The ruling finds proven a leak to the press and dissemination via an official rectification note. Pedro Sánchez has defended García Ortiz, stating he acted to defend the truth.
The Supreme Court has convicted Álvaro García Ortiz, former Attorney General of Spain, for breaching confidentiality by disseminating information on the procedural status of Alberto González Amador, partner of Madrid's regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Amador is being prosecuted for alleged tax fraud. The ruling, notified on December 9, 2025, establishes that García Ortiz or someone from his inner circle leaked data to the press and issued an official information note to rectify statements by Ayuso's chief of staff, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez.
Twelve journalists testified at the trial, and six of them, from four different media outlets, stated they knew the content of an email dated February 2, 2025, in which Amador's lawyer confessed the crimes for a plea deal, before it reached the attorney general. The court does not question the veracity of these testimonies but maintains that it does not exempt the prosecutor from his duty of secrecy, as the data could compromise Amador's presumption of innocence. However, the judges contradict journalist Miguel Ángel Campos from Cadena SER, who denied direct contact with García Ortiz on March 13, 2025; the sentence cites phone records suggesting a brief communication at 21:38.
An opinion piece in EL PAÍS criticizes the ruling for its weak evidentiary basis, highlighting the inconsistency of the prosecution's proof and two powerful dissenting votes upholding the presumption of innocence. It argues that the rectification note was legitimate given Rodríguez's prior distortion, which aimed to implicate the Prosecutor's Office and the Government.
Pedro Sánchez, at an event on December 9, backed García Ortiz: “What he did was defend the truth and the institution.” He criticized Ayuso, demanding she apologize for her team's actions, and recalled the contact saved as 'Alberto Quirón' in Rodríguez's phone, alluding to the healthcare company involved in the fraud.
