Spain's chief prosecutor Alvaro Garcia Ortiz has resigned after the Supreme Court found him guilty last week of leaking confidential information in a tax fraud case involving a partner of a prominent opposition politician, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The unprecedented case is a serious blow to the coalition government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who appointed Ortiz in 2022 and has repeatedly defended his innocence.
In a letter to Justice Minister Felix Bolaños, the former prosecutor said his decision to resign before the sentence, which bars him from holding office for two years, officially came into effect was dictated by “deep respect“ to the court decisions.
“Although my decision stems directly from the verdict, I am convinced that I have served faithfully the institution to which I have the honor of belonging, with an unequivocal vocation to serve society, a sense of duty and institutional loyalty“, he wrote in the letter.
His resignation was expected, although the Supreme Court has not yet published the reasons for the verdict. García Ortiz can appeal to Spain's Constitutional Court and, if necessary, to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
“We respect the court's decision, but we do not agree with it“, Spanish government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría told state broadcaster TVE after Ortiz's resignation.