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In brief

  • Judge Pedraz summons Diego Villafañe and Beatriz López to appear on July 15 about their meetings with Leire Díez at the Attorney General's Office.

  • The State Attorney General's Office acknowledged two encounters between the prosecutors, Leire Díez, and lawyer Jacobo Teijelo inside the Fortuny building.

  • Pedraz will decide on calling Ávaro García Ortiz as a witness only after hearing Villafañe and López, postponing the PP-led request.

  • The conservative Partido Popular's accusation also seeks testimony from Ana García León and the head of security of the Fortuny building.

  • Prosecutorial sources say no one in the office knew Leire Díez at the time of the meetings; they maintain the meetings were with Teijelo.

Madrid
Madrid · Spain

The summons

Judge Santiago Pedraz of Spain's National Court has ordered two former senior prosecutors to appear as witnesses on July 15 in the investigation into alleged attempts to undermine judicial cases affecting the government and the ruling PSOE party. The ruling, issued Wednesday, calls Diego Villafañe, previously the lieutenant prosecutor of the Technical Secretariat, and Beatriz López Pesquera, a prosecutor in the same unit. Both met with Leire Díez, a former Socialist militant now under investigation, and lawyer Jacobo Teijelo at the headquarters of the State Attorney General's Office. The judge says he will decide whether to summon former Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz after hearing the two witnesses.

Who is Leire Díez?

Leire Díez is a former activist of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) who is being investigated for allegedly orchestrating a network to sabotage judicial proceedings that could harm the government or the party. Known in the Spanish press as a 'fontanera' (plumber), she is accused of participating in operations to neutralize investigations. Her meetings with the two prosecutors, accompanied by lawyer Jacobo Teijelo (who represents Santos Cerdán), took place inside the Fortuny building, the seat of the State Attorney General's Office. The Attorney General's Office itself confirmed to the judge that the meetings occurred.

Political pressure

The popular accusation in the case is led by the conservative Partido Popular (PP), which has requested that García Ortiz, the former head of the prosecution service, and other officials also testify. The PP's legal team asked the judge on Tuesday to summon García Ortiz, the head of the Technical Secretariat Ana García León, and the head of security of the Fortuny building. Pedraz has postponed a decision on those requests, saying he will rule after Villafañe and López appear.

What the prosecutors' office says

Prosecutorial sources told LaSexta that no one in the office knew Leire Díez at the time of the meetings.

“Nobody knew her, nobody knew who she was. We found out later.”

prosecutorial sources
They insist that the meetings were scheduled with Jacobo Teijelo and that Díez attended only as an accompanying person.

Next steps

Villafañe is to testify at 10:00 on July 15, followed by López at 10:30. Depending on what they say, Pedraz could summon García Ortiz and the other officials. The investigation, known as the 'Leire Díez case', is one of several legal threats facing the government, which has denied any wrongdoing.

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Sources and context

  • El Periódicoon 1 Jul at 12:08El juez llama como testigo al 'número dos' de García Ortiz por su reunión con Leire Díez para valorar si cita al exfiscal general
  • europa presson 1 Jul at 12:06El juez cita como testigos el 15 de julio a los excargos de la...
  • El Confidencialon 1 Jul at 12:01El juez cita como testigo al 'número dos' de García Ortiz por las reuniones de las cloacas en Fiscalía
  • EL MUNDOon 1 Jul at 12:01El juez Pedraz cita a declarar como testigo a la mano derecha de Álvaro García Ortiz para que explique sus reuniones con la 'fontanera' Leire Díez en la sede de la Fiscalía General
Santiago Pedraz
Judge of the Spanish National Court leading the Leire Díez investigation.
Diego Villafañe
Former lieutenant prosecutor of the Technical Secretariat of the State Attorney General's Office.
Beatriz López Pesquera
Former prosecutor in the Technical Secretariat who accompanied Villafañe in meetings with Leire Díez.
Leire Díez
Former Socialist militant investigated for allegedly orchestrating a sabotage network against judicial cases affecting the government.
Álvaro García Ortiz
Former Attorney General of Spain, whose potential testimony depends on Villafañe's and López's statements.
Jacobo Teijelo
Lawyer who represented Santos Cerdán and attended the meetings with Leire Díez at the Attorney General's Office.

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Published on 1 Jul at 12:23.

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Text generated by AI from the reports of the publishers listed and checked automatically, with no human editor. How Pollar is made

In this text

The summonsThe summonsWho is Leire Díez?Who is Leire Díez?Political pressurePolitical pressureWhat the prosecutors' office saysWhat the prosecutors' office saysNext stepsNext steps

Based on reports by

El Periódico, europa press, El Confidencial, EL MUNDO, LaSexta

List of sources

Government · Madrid

Spanish judge summons former top prosecutors as witnesses in Leire Díez sabotage investigation

Spain's National Court judge Santiago Pedraz has called two former senior prosecutors to testify on July 15 about their meetings with Leire Díez, a former Socialist activist accused of orchestrating a network to derail judicial cases affecting the government and the ruling PSOE party.

Madrid

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AI text based on reports by El Periódico, europa press, El Confidencial and other publishers. Published on 1 Jul at 12:23.

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