On Monday, November 3, 2025, Spain’s Supreme Court became the stage for a political and legal drama that has gripped the nation and sent tremors through Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government. For the first time in modern Spanish history, a sitting attorney general—Alvaro Garcia Ortiz—stood trial, accused of leaking confidential information in a case that has become a lightning rod for partisan tensions and public scrutiny.
The allegations against Garcia Ortiz are as explosive as they are unprecedented. Prosecutors contend that he leaked sensitive case files, specifically an email, to journalists. The information in question originated from a lawyer representing Alberto Gonzalez Amador, a businessman under investigation for allegedly defrauding the Spanish treasury of €350,000 during 2020 and 2021, a period when his health company’s earnings soared in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes this case even more politically charged is Gonzalez Amador’s relationship with Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the influential conservative leader of the Madrid region and a rising star within the Popular Party (PP), Spain’s main opposition force.
Garcia Ortiz, who has served as attorney general since 2022, faces accusations that some see as an attempt to undermine Ayuso’s reputation by tainting her partner. The PP has been quick to seize on the controversy, accusing the attorney general—appointed by Sanchez’s Socialist government—of orchestrating the leak to inflict political damage. The party’s national leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, did not mince words, stating on Monday that the Garcia Ortiz affair would be enough to bring down a government “in any decent democracy.” He added, “But for Sanchez, it’s just another step in the moral decay of our country.”
As the trial opened, Garcia Ortiz was asked by the presiding judge whether he considered himself guilty of the crimes alleged. His response was a simple and resolute, “No.” His lawyer, Consuelo Castro, described the proceedings as “an unjust process overall” and argued that the investigation began with “a preconceived notion that the defendant was guilty.” Prosecutors have formally requested an acquittal, and Sanchez himself has publicly expressed his belief in Garcia Ortiz’s innocence, reaffirming his support on multiple occasions.
The trial is scheduled over six days, with three sessions this week and three more the following week, concluding on November 13, 2025. It will feature testimony from 41 witnesses, including 12 journalists. Gonzalez Amador is set to testify on Tuesday, November 4, while Garcia Ortiz will take the stand on November 12. If convicted, Garcia Ortiz faces several years in prison and a ban from continuing in his profession. Gonzalez Amador, for his part, is demanding four years of jail time for the attorney general and €300,000 in compensation for what he describes as “the moral damage caused.”
The stakes are high not just for those directly involved but for the entire political establishment. The case comes at a time when Sanchez’s government is already on the defensive, facing separate corruption investigations involving his wife, Begoña Gómez, his brother, and two former high-ranking officials from the Socialist Party. While Sanchez himself has not been named in any of these probes, their cumulative effect has threatened the stability of his minority government and fueled opposition calls for his resignation and a snap general election.
The government has repeatedly characterized the investigations as politically motivated. In reference to the probes into his wife’s business dealings, Sanchez told a Senate committee last week that Socialist party funding was “absolutely clean,” and he emphasized that his administration had introduced a raft of anti-corruption measures in July. He has also suggested that some judges in the country are acting on ideological or political motives, a claim that has only deepened the sense of polarization surrounding the judiciary and the executive.
Garcia Ortiz’s legal team has painted him as the victim of a campaign by the Madrid regional government, designed to distract from Gonzalez Amador’s legal troubles and shield Ayuso from potential fallout. According to their arguments, Ayuso and her staff devised “a strategy that consisted in building and spreading an alternative narrative” that cast Gonzalez Amador’s predicament as a case of “political persecution.” This narrative, they contend, is intended to shift the focus away from the substance of the tax fraud allegations and onto the supposed machinations of the Socialist-led government.
All the while, the trial itself is unfolding under the watchful gaze of the Spanish public and media, with journalists and political commentators dissecting every development. Four prosecutors are expected to testify as witnesses in the early sessions, and the list of those called to give evidence reflects the breadth of interest and the complexity of the case. The outcome could have far-reaching implications—not just for Garcia Ortiz’s career, but for the credibility of Spain’s judicial system and the future of Sanchez’s government.
The legal proceedings are taking place against a backdrop of broader political turmoil. The PP has not missed a beat in calling for Sanchez’s ouster, citing what they allege to be a pattern of corruption and ethical lapses within the Socialist administration. Meanwhile, Sanchez has sought to project an image of resilience, dismissing the cases against his family as baseless and reaffirming his commitment to transparency and reform. He has insisted that his government’s anti-corruption measures are robust and that the allegations swirling around his inner circle are little more than politically motivated distractions.
For many Spaniards, the spectacle of a sitting attorney general on trial is both shocking and sobering. It raises uncomfortable questions about the interplay between politics and the law, the independence of the judiciary, and the standards of accountability expected from those in positions of power. The trial has also highlighted the deepening rift between Spain’s left-wing national government and the conservative regional administration in Madrid, a divide that shows no signs of healing soon.
As the Supreme Court proceedings continue, all eyes remain fixed on Madrid. Whether Garcia Ortiz is acquitted or convicted, the trial’s reverberations will be felt far beyond the courtroom. With 41 witnesses set to testify and the nation’s political future hanging in the balance, the outcome will likely shape the contours of Spanish politics for months, if not years, to come.
The coming days will be critical in determining not only the fate of Alvaro Garcia Ortiz but also the trajectory of Pedro Sanchez’s government and the broader struggle for integrity and trust in Spain’s public institutions.
