• Audience: Villarejo accuses the CNI of "hiding" material already decrypted and "manipulating" the recordings
  • Justice: The Hearing questions the accusation of terrorism and leaves a CDR charged for manufacturing explosives free

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has agreed to strengthen the Central Court of Instruction Number 6 of the National Court, which is headed by magistrate Manuel García Castellón , instructor of multiple macrocauses such as the Villarejo case , the Punic plot , the Lezo case, the Acuamed case or investigation to the members of the CDR.

According to legal sources to EL MUNDO, the Permanent Commission has approved that Judge Joaquín Gadea , Judge of Territorial Affiliation (JAD) assigned to the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia , be a supporting judge of García Castellón.

In addition, the instructor of the National Court will keep Judge Alejandro Abascal as a judge of reinforcement. The big difference between the two is that while Gadea will not assume jurisdictional functions, Abascal has been developing them since he assumed the reinforcement position of Manuel García Castellón, whom he has replaced many times after the departure of magistrate Diego de Egea from the court makes one year.

Support is one of the judges who condemned Torra for disobedience

The figure of the support judge is included in additional provision 21 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary (LOPJ) for assistance in the investigation of complex cases. The Law maintains that «the General Council of the Judiciary may agree, for the best instruction of complex causes and upon the proposal of its owner, the ascription to a particular body of another or other judges or magistrates that without jurisdictional functions and under the direction of the holder of that, exclusively perform collaborative work, assistance or advice ».

Council sources explain that the main function of Gadea, who was part of the court that recently condemned the Catalan president Quim Torra for disobedience by not removing the yellow ties of the Generalitat buildings during the electoral period, will be to help the head of the National Court with macrocauses such as Punic or Acuamed that, due to the deadline law, must complete the instruction in the coming months.

The enormous workload assumed by the judicial party led by Manuel García Castellón has led the governing body of judges to adopt this exceptional measure for the Central Court of Instruction Number 6 of the special court charged with fighting terrorism and corruption. A decade ago it was the Central Court 5 of the Hearing, which was then directed by Judge Baltasar Garzón , who always instructed the most media cases in the country. That changed and, at present, the star court of the Audience is the one that captain Garcia Castellón.

Only the Villarejo case, also known as summary of the Tandem operation , accumulates more than 20 separate pieces; the Punic plot another 11 pieces; the Lezo case , a total of eight more, etc. On the other hand, the investigation of the CDR for terrorism is composed of several previous proceedings and several separate pieces that alone could be several independent macrocauses.

The Permanent Commission chaired by Carlos Lesmes has approved Joaquín Gadea as a support judge for a period of six months, extendable for another six. This January he will land at the National Court.

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  • National audience
  • General Council of the Judiciary
  • CDR
  • Quim Torra

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