Isabel Díaz Ayuso spoke on Monday about the prosecutor’s resignation after a conviction in which she and her main counsel, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, were instrumental. The President of the Community of Madrid claimed the hardline wing of the People’s Party by defending her fiery rhetoric, supposedly different from the one she used in Genoa, her party’s headquarters: “Those of us who do not have to live on lukewarmness and moderation say things loudly and clearly, before it is too late.”
He did not hesitate to assert that Pedro Sánchez and his ministers believed they were “above” the Supreme Court, the court that issued the ruling: “The Supreme Court created another supreme court (the Constitutional Court, to which the accused has the right to resort if he considers that his constitutional rights have been violated). The government decided that no one could judge them and anyone who dared to be a force, a counter-force or a counterweight, in a typical way for a democracy, would be persecuted and challenged.” The President did not explain exactly what she meant by this.
Now it will be the Constitutional Court, if García Ortiz goes to this case, that will determine whether the constitutional rights of the prosecutor so far have been violated in this process, something that Ayuso already fears and, therefore, will be vindicated, always because of the alleged influence of the president. With this idea, the president insists that Sanchez dominate the three branches of state. “They are law, justice and government,” he insisted.
García Ortiz submitted his resignation to the government on Monday through a letter to Justice Minister Felix Bolaños, requesting his removal from the Cabinet. The letter, seen by El Pais, said: “It is an act not only of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but of all Spanish citizens.” The public prosecutor steps down after a ruling that condemns him to a two-year ban from office for the crime of disclosing secrets and imposes a fine of 7,200 euros and a compensation of 10,000 euros to Ayuso’s friend, Alberto González Amador. The businessman is currently on trial and awaiting trial on tax fraud charges.
The success in ousting the prosecutor is a victory for Ayuso. Her partner’s case became the case of Garcia Ortiz and the alleged conspiracy against him. It all started with the publication of false information by Rodriguez, MAR, to which the prosecutor wanted to respond. The sentence generated tremendous tension. The People’s Party, led by the President of Madrid, celebrated it, while the Left considered it unfair. Since the matter became known on Thursday, the two main Spanish parties have tried to force their story.
The PSOE believes it has found momentum in this matter at a time when it appears unfavorable due to new revelations about the alleged irregular expenses of former PSOE Secretary Santos Cerdán and his family. Now the anger over the conviction of Garcia Ortiz, whom the government considers innocent, may mobilize the left as several regional elections loom, especially in Castile and León and Andalusia.