The verdict, announced by the Supreme Court twenty days before its official publication, declared Álvaro García Ortiz guilty of the crime of revealing secrets for revealing confidential information about businessman Alberto González Amador, partner of Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso. This court order included not only a two-year ban from the office of Attorney General, but also the payment of a fine of 7,200 euros and compensation of 10,000 euros to González Amador in the form of moral damages. According to the State Gazette (BOE), García Ortiz’s departure, which was officially declared as a resignation “of his own volition”, was due to the condemnation by the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court, which considered that the former Attorney General “cannot respond to false news by committing a crime”, which is why it considered the data leak in the Madrid president’s entourage to be particularly serious.
The BOE published both the dismissal of García Ortiz and the appointment of Teresa Peramato as the new Attorney General of the State by Royal Decree 1138/2025 of December 9th. The same bulletin stated that the removal communicated following the court decision included an institutional recognition “for the services provided by García Ortiz,” in accordance with the procedures and legal requirements of the Spanish legal system. The administrative act itself referred to Article 31 of the Statute of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which regulates professional incompatibility for managerial positions, and to Article 124.4 of the Spanish Constitution, which regulates the procedure for the appointment of the head of the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Following the dismissal of García Ortiz, the BOE officially announced the arrival of Teresa Peramato as head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, after completing all the procedures required by law. As outlined by the BOE itself, the appointment and discharge process included review of statutory requirements such as: B. the approval of the General Council of Justice (CGPJ), the approval of the Council of Ministers and the obligatory appearance of the candidate before the Judicial Commission of the House of Representatives. Royal Decree 1140/2025, also published in this edition, included the designation of Peramato at the suggestion of the Government, after receiving the support of both the CGPJ and the King, according to the stages established by law.
The ruling that led to the removal of García Ortiz was based on the disclosure of secrets through two acts: the distribution of an email in which González Amador made a confession and the issuance of a subsequent press release that specifically named the businessman. According to the BOE, the immediate impact of the conviction was that García Ortiz could no longer remain in office after the legal deadlines had expired and the formalities of the trial had been completed.
Teresa Peramato takes over the office of Attorney General after passing through all the stages established by the regulations. According to the BOE, over the course of his 35-year tax career, Peramato has held positions in various prosecutors’ offices, including in Tenerife, Valladolid, Barcelona and Madrid. After studying law at the University of Salamanca, her profile was strengthened in 2005 when she was appointed deputy prosecutor in the Violence Against Women Unit. During this phase, she led initiatives to improve victim protection and institutional coordination against gender-based violence.
As the BOE reports, Peramato’s training and experience were valued by the organizations involved in the appointment process, including oversight by the Congressional Justice Commission. Peramato argued to MPs that he was suitable for the position because his career had specialized in defending human rights and promoting protection measures for vulnerable groups, particularly female victims of violence. According to the media, Peramato was appointed prosecutor against violence against women during the government of Dolores Delgado in 2021 and led the criminal policy in this area. In the later phase, under the direction of García Ortiz, she performed functions as Assistant Prosecutor for the Protection and Guardianship of Victims in Criminal Procedure and, together with other prosecutors, coordinated the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court.
Peramato’s participation in the State Observatory on Violence Against Women and her inclusion in the first group responsible for the preparation of the 2007 annual report, as well as her work in organizations dedicated to the prevention and response to gender-based violence, outline the profile that justified her election. According to the BOE’s publication, the nomination process required the presentation of the candidate’s professional history and its submission for assessment by the CGPJ, as well as the necessary approval of the Council of Ministers. Only after all these steps had been overcome could the new Attorney General be officially appointed.
The government retained exclusive jurisdiction to formally propose to the king the replacement of the head of the Attorney General’s Office. According to official sources, the transition was both a response to the strong conviction that concerned García Ortiz and the need to ensure institutional continuity after the departure of a senior official, within the legal framework. With Peramato’s arrival, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought the experience and specialization of a lawyer who has focused her work on protecting against gender-based violence and crimes against the most vulnerable groups.
The context in which Peramato assumes the office of Attorney General is characterized by the challenge of strengthening the protection of victims, updating the action protocols in crimes related to violence against women and coordinating public policies in accordance with the criteria established in his professional profile. The institutional process during the replacement, including the public resignation of García Ortiz, the evaluation of the advisory bodies and the formal approval by the Council of Ministers, was developed in accordance with the current legal framework, according to the documents published by the BOE and reproduced by various media.
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