Spain’s attorney general guilty of leak in tax fraud case against partner of political rival

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MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Supreme Court on Thursday found the country’s attorney general guilty of leaking confidential information about the boyfriend of a leading conservative politician and government rival.

The court banned Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz from his post for two years in a split vote of 5-2.

The decision is a blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who defended García Ortiz during the monthslong investigation and trial. Spain’s government said that it “respected the decision but does not share it.”

García Ortiz was accused of having leaked an email to journalists and written a press release with personal information about Alberto González Amador, when the businessman was under investigation for alleged tax fraud. That tax inquiry remains open.

González Amador is the partner of Madrid’s influential regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, one of Spain’s main opposition leaders.

García Ortiz denied any wrongdoing. He can appeal to the Constitutional Court.

In addition to being removed from his post, the court ordered that he pay 7,200 euros ($8,300) in fines, 10,000 euros ($11,500) in damages to González Amador and the court fees.

The trial earlier this month gripped Spanish media. This was the first time in Spain’s modern history that a top prosecutor faced a criminal trial.

The case is one of several that have implicated people close to Sánchez.

The court released the decision in a short statement. The complete verdict hasn’t been made available. The government said that it would start the process to nominate a new attorney general in the coming days.