Trial against Garzón politically motivated

The first of at least two trials against the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón opened on Tuesday in Madrid. He could be disbarred for up to 17 years if he is found guilty, meaning the end of his career. He should never have been brought to trial, the left-leaning daily Público opines: "The photo that appears on the front page of this newspaper today should never have existed in a proper democracy. It shows a judge put on trial before the Supreme Court for ordering the phone-tapping of those responsible for the biggest corruption scandal in recent Spanish history, as well as of their lawyers. The phone-tapping was not an arbitrary decision. There was evidence that the lawyers were involved in the illegal activities of their clients. ... The real problem is that the judge on the photo is called Baltasar Garzón and that the judiciary and politicians have launched an attack against him to destroy his career."

» full article (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Justice, » Spain

» To the complete press review of Wednesday, January 18, 2012