Overview

• Cristina Álvarez filed a direct appeal with the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid seeking to leave without effect Judge Juan Carlos Peinado’s malversación imputation tied to her 2018 hiring at Moncloa.
• Her defense contends that sending three private emails over seven years as an advisor cannot amount to misappropriation of public funds.
• The brief invokes the Supreme Court’s refusal to open a case against minister Félix Bolaños over Álvarez’s hiring as a benchmark that contradicts Peinado’s decision.
• The appeal accuses the investigating judge of disregarding prior guidance from the Audiencia Provincial and of changing course without new investigative results, noting his earlier imputation of delegate Fernando Martín Aguirre for the same facts.
• The defense maintains Álvarez fulfilled her assigned duties, arguing that security and protocol needs for the prime minister’s spouse justify her involvement in certain personal or professional activities.