The judges, the prosecutor, and a leader who follows Ayuso

In all this fuss against the Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz, the main issue is sometimes lost sight of. The accusation is that he leaked a real and true email in which a criminal confesses to having defrauded the Treasury and asks for a deal to reduce his sentence. García Ortiz is not accused of malfeasance, misappropriating other people's money, or using his position to enrich himself. This, for example, is included in the judge's report against former Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro, who is not only under investigation for changing laws to benefit certain companies, but also publicly flaunted his knowledge of the tax situation of his opponents, and also of his co-religionists. In other words, he revealed secrets that he equally couldn't reveal, or threatened to do so.

Granted, in the case of the Attorney General, being a preeminent figure in the Spanish judicial system, the situation could be more serious, but it's worth remembering the origins of the entire case that has ended up bringing him to court. Especially since on Friday, the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, did not attend the institutional event to open the judicial year in protest at the presence, required by law, of the Attorney General. Instead, he attended the event organized by the partner of the fraudster with whom the case began, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who is trying, and in some circles succeeding, to play the role of the victim of an alleged conspiracy by the Spanish government. Not to mention, furthermore, that Feijóo had to spend the event justifying himself for having snubbed the king, who was presiding over the event he had not attended, and the judiciary itself, which was organizing it.

There was much anticipation surrounding the speeches by García Ortiz and the president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), Isabel Perelló. And whether there would be a boycott. The judges' behavior was exemplary. The tension was present, but so was respect and correctness. This is what Perelló demanded in his speech, in which he politely dealt blows both ways, although most of the criticism was directed at the Spanish government. He lamented, without directly mentioning it, the accusations of politicization of some judges made by Pedro Sánchez, and defended judicial independence, which he considers challenged by the legislative changes proposed by the Moncloa. But he also reiterated that judicial independence does not mean carte blanche to do whatever one wants, and that there is an internal system to monitor judicial malpractice. The Attorney General insisted that he attended the event because he believes "in justice and the rule of law." Perhaps his refusal to resign hurts more than it does good to the institution he leads. All of this damages the image of justice among citizens, and despite the legitimacy of many criticisms, as a society we cannot afford it. Without trust in justice, there can be no healthy democracy.