Almudena Lastra, the prosecutor who testified against former Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz, announced on Thursday an appeal to the Supreme Court against her non-renewal as head of the Superior Prosecutor's Office of Madrid.
Prosecutor Almudena Lastra took the first step on Thursday to legally challenge her dismissal as head of the public ministry in Madrid. According to legal sources, Lastra has submitted a notice of intention to file a lawsuit before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Supreme Court against the Royal Decree that appointed María Isabel Martín López as the new chief prosecutor of the Community of Madrid.
An appeal against the change in the Superior Prosecutor's Office
On April 30, the Attorney General, Teresa Peramato, proposed to the Government the appointment of Isabel Martín, who was previously in the Technical Secretariat of the Prosecutor's Office, as Lastra's replacement. Peramato highlighted Martín's “high level of technical competence, professional rigor, and her proven ability to take on responsibilities of special complexity and demand,” in addition to her action plan “to transform the Superior Prosecutor's Office of Madrid under the principles of excellence, cohesion, and public service.”
This change has been heavily contested by the Association of Prosecutors (AF), which is the majority in the career and has a conservative stance. The AF criticized Peramato for completing “the evacuation plan” of García Ortiz's support team and emphasized that the chosen candidate was 800 positions below Lastra in the ranking.
The AF also valued Lastra's career, with 35 years of professional experience, and recalled that “she had the audacity to contradict the official doctrine regarding the serious criminal charges brought against García Ortiz, for which he was convicted, with her testimony being one of the evidentiary elements considered in the ruling.”
The testimony that marked García Ortiz's conviction
Almudena Lastra testified against Álvaro García Ortiz in the trial in which he was convicted for revealing confidential information. Her testimony was deemed key by the ruling. For the AF, Lastra acted with “a serene autonomy that is inherent to the role of prosecutor,” which allowed her to view the facts “from neutrality,” without prior consideration of “the author, what someone might expect from us, or the consequences of acting honestly.”
The Attorney General, for her part, has denied that she has carried out any “purge” of dissenting prosecutors since taking office. In previous statements, Peramato asserted that the changes made “are within the norm” because the positions of chief prosecutor are for five years.
What does this appeal mean for the citizens of Madrid?
The judicial battle for the head of the Superior Prosecutor's Office of Madrid is not just an internal matter of the prosecutorial career. The person occupying this position decides which crimes to prioritise in the region and how resources are organised against crime, corruption, or gender violence. For the residents of Madrid, the outcome of this appeal could influence the effectiveness of everyday justice.
For now, the change is already in effect: Isabel Martín has held the position since May. But if the Supreme Court admits Lastra's lawsuit, the case could drag on for months or even years. The decision of the High Court will be crucial in determining whether the non-renewal was a legitimate discretionary act or a covert reprisal.
You may also like
