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The case against Garzón took another twist this morning with the publication of this article in El País detailing rumours of a deal being indirectly offered to Garzón: resign and we won’t prosecute you.
Now it’s clear that there deals are common when it comes to legal cases: denounce your fellow criminals, plead not guilty, admit guilt, in order to get off lightly. This is no innocent world where everyone pays for their actions; there is a certain amount of horsetrading that goes on. Nevertheless, in this case it is a truly breathtaking development. Resign, and we’ll drop the case. Whatever happened to applying the letter of the law? It’s now obvious that removing Garzón from the Audiencia Nacional is the most important thing; not the crime he is accused of having committed.
Blackmail. The only option they are giving Garzón is to leave the Audiencia Nacional. That’s the only thing that matters for his enemies: remove him from power. This isn’t about a point of law or questions of competency, it’s a strategic move to destroy one person’s career.
When the Garzón fiasco started, it was obvious that the Spanish judicial system is politicised. With this latest development, it’s obvious that the practise of law itself is more politics than we perhaps normally believe.
Reflections on Spain 