Overview

• On July 3, prosecutor Fernando Prieto formally opposed a Supreme Court investigation into Minister Félix Bolaños for alleged false testimony and misuse of public funds in the 2018 hiring of Cristina Álvarez.
• Prieto’s report was submitted to the Supreme Court’s Sala de Admisión, which must now decide whether to accept his recommendation or to act on Judge Juan Carlos Peinado’s request for an investigation.
• Judge Peinado’s request argued that Bolaños’s sworn testimony conflicted with statements from Moncloa’s personnel chief, Raúl Díaz.
• The misappropriation claim centers on state funds used to pay Cristina Álvarez for assisting Begoña Gómez in both official and private activities.
• The outcome of the Sala’s decision will test the balance between prosecutorial discretion and judicial authority in high-level political corruption cases.