Overview
- Álvaro García Ortiz stepped down Monday following a Supreme Court verdict last week that found he unlawfully disclosed confidential information tied to a tax probe of Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s partner.
- The court’s 5–2 decision bars him from office for two years and imposes a €7,300 fine plus €10,000 in damages, with the written reasoning still pending.
- García Ortiz denies being the source and said he resigned out of respect for judicial rulings while preserving the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
- The case centers on his disclosure of a February 2024 email between prosecutors and Alberto González Amador’s lawyer that included a settlement proposal and an admission, shared after a now‑retracted El Mundo report.
- Testimony conflicted as several journalists said he was not their source while Madrid’s chief prosecutor identified him, and political reactions split sharply, with the government voicing respect but disagreement and appeals to the Constitutional Court and potentially the European Court of Human Rights still open.