Supreme Court Prosecutor Testifies About Attorney General's Suspicious Activity
On Tuesday, TS Salvador Viada, a prosecutor at the Supreme Court, confirmed during his testimony that he witnessed Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz reviewing a mobile phone alongside his deputy on the day the Civil Guard searched the office of the head of the Public Prosecutors Office. This alarming statement comes amidst a judicial investigation led by Judge Ángel Hurtado, who is looking into García Ortiz for allegedly leaking emails concerning Alberto González Amador, a partner of Madrid's President Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
Viada provided his testimony at the request of the Professional and Independent Association of Prosecutors (APIF), which he previously represented. His statements to the court were also in response to various accusations brought against García Ortiz by several parties, including the College of Lawyers of Madrid (ICAM), Manos Limpias, the Foro Libertad and the Alternativa Foundation, along with APIF.
After leaving the Supreme Court, Viada emphasized that he had reported solely on what he saw. He stated, "At a specific moment, I saw the prosecutor of the case with the Attorney General consulting a phone. What caught my attention was the context more than the fact itself because that is of no importance. Obviously, I cannot know what they were looking at, whose phone it was, or any details like that."
Viada further insisted that he has always had a good personal relationship with his colleague, Sánchez Conde, stating, "For this, it is not pleasant for me nor for her to be in these situations. But hey, the truth is the truth; that’s what I saw."
Legal sources claim that the content of the Attorney General's mobile phone had already been copied prior to the Civil Guard's raid. The APIF had previously requested retrieval of recordings from security cameras at the Attorney General's Office; however, it was confirmed that no such devices are present within the premises of the Public Prosecutors Office, rendering that request futile.
According to the records taken during the search of García Ortiz's office, the observed meeting took place after the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard had already copied the entire content of the Attorney General's mobile device. Viada suggested that the actions he witnessed were unusual and troubling, asserting, "What is bad, unusual, or relevant to the case is that once they had returned the phone, a prosecutor does not do that. A prosecutor does not talk to the investigated party in the middle of proceedings. That is what we have always been taught. The ethical code also says that. And that is the issue."
Viada is the second witness summoned to testify in the ongoing investigation concerning García Ortiz and the provincial prosecutor of Madrid, Pilar Rodríguez, who are both facing scrutiny for the alleged disclosure of confidential information linked to the partner of President Díaz Ayuso. As inquiries continue, the implications of this testimony could profoundly impact the integrity of the Public Prosecutors Office and the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding these allegations.
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