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Spain’s Supreme Court Proposes €79,942 in Costs for Ex–Attorney General in Leak Case

The provisional figure faces a challenge from Álvaro García Ortiz, underscoring unsettled rules on calculating legal fees in criminal cases.

Overview

  • The Penal Chamber’s court officer notified the assessment on February 9, and the amount can still be contested by the convicted official and by the Prosecutor’s Office.
  • The sum mirrors the full fee claim submitted by Alberto González Amador’s lawyer, including procurator fees and VAT, after applying a 60% uplift for work before the Supreme Court.
  • García Ortiz has appealed the assessment as disproportionate, so the costs are not final pending resolution of his challenge.
  • The former attorney general was convicted in November for unlawful disclosure, receiving disqualification, a €7,200 fine, and a €10,000 compensation order, with the fine and indemnity covered by UPF donations.
  • If confirmed, the costs would lift García Ortiz’s total financial liability to about €97,142, a notable figure given the lack of clear national benchmarks following a 2023 ruling and a contested 2024 law on fee guidelines.