Spain's Supreme Court Prosecution Service backs partial pardon for García Ortiz
The Supreme Court's Prosecution Service supports a partial pardon for Álvaro García Ortiz, limited to the ban from office. Criticism over the request by two private citizens.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spain's Supreme Court Prosecution Service backs partial pardon for García Ortiz
The Prosecution Service of Spain's Supreme Court has decided to support the granting of a partial pardon for Álvaro García Ortiz, the former Attorney General. The report, signed by deputy prosecutor María Ángeles Sánchez Conde, limits its support to the two-year ban from holding public office. Nothing more. The man who once led the public prosecution is now pinning his hopes on a clemency route formally requested by two anonymous citizens. Politics, as almost always, peeks through the sustancia ilegal.
The report and its limits
The ruling comes after the High Court itself imposed the sentence. The pardon request was submitted to the Government in December. The Prosecution Service's response is neither a rejection nor full support: it is a partial endorsement, a figure that in practice paves the way for the Government's decision. Sánchez Conde signed the document, which gives it a technical weight that does not go unnoticed. But the scope is limited: it stops at the ban from office and does not touch the substance of the conviction.
Two anonymous citizens and permanent suspicion
The original request, filed by two unnamed individuals with the Government, has caused an uproar. It is not usual for a pardon for a former Attorney General to arise from a spontaneous citizens' initiative. The criticism was not long in coming: there is talk of "corruption", of "justice à la carte" and of procedural engineering designed to save one of their own. From the other side, some point out that the defence alleges irregularities in the trial and that the current Attorney General has referred the alleged misconduct of certain Supreme Court judges to Europe. The clash of versions is total.
Meanwhile, the pardon rests in the Government's hands. With the Prosecution Service's partial endorsement on the table, the decision seems to have a clear path. But recent history counsels caution: the courts have crossed paths with clemency and pardons before. If this case has proven anything, it is that judicial politics and justice will remain entangled for some time.
The Prosecution Service of Spain's Supreme Court has decided to support the granting of a partial pardon for Álvaro García Ortiz, the former Attorney General. The report, signed by deputy prosecutor María Ángeles Sánchez Conde, limits its support to the two-year ban from holding public office. Nothing more. The man who once led the public prosecution is now pinning his hopes on a clemency route formally requested by two anonymous citizens. Politics, as almost always, peeks through the sustancia ilegal.
The report and its limits
The ruling comes after the High Court itself imposed the sentence. The pardon request was submitted to the Government in December. The Prosecution Service's response is neither a rejection nor full support: it is a partial endorsement, a figure that in practice paves the way for the Government's decision. Sánchez Conde signed the document, which gives it a technical weight that does not go unnoticed. But the scope is limited: it stops at the ban from office and does not touch the substance of the conviction.
Two anonymous citizens and permanent suspicion
The original request, filed by two unnamed individuals with the Government, has caused an uproar. It is not usual for a pardon for a former Attorney General to arise from a spontaneous citizens' initiative. The criticism was not long in coming: there is talk of "corruption", of "justice à la carte" and of procedural engineering designed to save one of their own. From the other side, some point out that the defence alleges irregularities in the trial and that the current Attorney General has referred the alleged misconduct of certain Supreme Court judges to Europe. The clash of versions is total.
Meanwhile, the pardon rests in the Government's hands. With the Prosecution Service's partial endorsement on the table, the decision seems to have a clear path. But recent history counsels caution: the courts have crossed paths with clemency and pardons before. If this case has proven anything, it is that judicial politics and justice will remain entangled for some time.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (9 replies).
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