A man with glasses and a suit appears in the foreground, with two overlapping circular images showing the same person at a conference and a hand holding a smartphone. — The magistrate in the case is proceeding with the investigation against the indicted attorney general. | EDATV

Camara — The magistrate in the case is proceeding with the investigation against the indicted attorney general. | EDATV

Unexpected Twist in the 'garcía Ortiz Case': Judge Denies His Request and Corners Him

Álvaro García Ortiz is against the ropes

24/02/2025 14:03:00h

Adais Cásares

The controversial case of the indicted Attorney General continues to advance amid the numerous controversies inherent to the judicial investigation against Álvaro García Ortiz for alleged secret leakage. The Supreme Court magistrate handling the case, Ángel Hurtado, has refused to comply with the Attorney General's requests regarding the information requested from the platforms Google and WhatsApp.

The magistrate, who is instructing the case for an alleged crime of revealing secrets, ordered on January 20 that the service companies WhatsApp and Google provide information. This, about certain WhatsApp and Gmail accounts. This is because the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard detected that relevant data for the investigation had been deleted.

A man in an academic gown and a gold medal holds an object in his hands in front of a red curtain.

The Supreme Court magistrate handling the case, Ángel Hurtado, has refused to comply with the attorney general's requests. | Europa Press

A professional association, involved in the process, filed an appeal with the aim of directing the request to the subsidiaries of these companies in Spain. They argued that this would avoid the risk of the claim being blocked.

However, according to The Objective, Judge Hurtado rejected these requests. He also noted that the letter rogatory seeks to obtain evidence and that he will supervise the process once the required information is available.

The Key Step by UCO That García Ortiz Fears So Much

Last Monday, the judge issued a new order indicating a new key step. In addition to the WhatsApp messages and emails required by the UCO of the Civil Guard not being found, the mobile devices that Álvaro García Ortiz discarded have also not appeared. This, after making terminal changes.

In light of this situation, and at the request of the partner of the Madrid president, the judge has ordered new proceedings to try to recover those devices.

A man with glasses and a thoughtful expression puts his hand to his mouth in a formal setting with a red background.

The magistrate requests that both the Justice and Treasury departments provide agents with devices that are no longer in use or from previous allocations. | EDATV

Specifically, he has requested the area in charge of mobile devices of the Ministries of Presidency, Justice, and Finance to deliver García Ortiz's phones. In particular, those he has returned since March 7, 2024. The date on which the Attorney General's Office received the first report on the investigation for alleged tax crimes of Ayuso's boyfriend.

The magistrate asks that both Justice and Finance provide the agents with the devices delivered due to disuse or previous renewals, thus covering almost a year of terminal changes. This is not the first time an attempt has been made to clarify this matter. In January, Hurtado had already requested information from the IT section of the Attorney General's Office, but the response obtained did not solve his doubts.

A man in glasses and a suit smiles as he stands next to a car in front of a stone building.

This is the phone that García Ortiz kept during the five days before the leak. | Redes sociales

According to that department, the last mobile change registered in their system occurred on May 24, 2024. A date that doesn't coincide with the findings of the UCO, which places the device replacement on October 23. This, just after the Supreme Court began the investigation against García Ortiz.

The magistrate in charge of the case is trying to recover the mobile that García Ortiz had, as he considers it a key piece of the investigation against Pedro Sánchez's Attorney General. It is the mobile that García Ortiz kept during the five days before the leak.

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