Celso Rodríguez Padrón, president of the TSJM, has described the lawfare accusations against judges investigating cases like that of Begoña Gómez, wife of Pedro Sánchez, as "absolutely unacceptable".
The president of the High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM), Celso Rodríguez Padrón, has responded to criticisms pointing at judges for alleged lawfare in politically sensitive cases, such as the one affecting Begoña Gómez, the wife of the Prime Minister. During the presentation of the TSJM's annual report, the magistrate defended judicial independence and deemed the accusations of a supposed conspiracy against certain leaders as unacceptable.
A strong defence of judicial independence
Rodríguez Padrón stated that "this insistence on the articulation of lawfare campaigns by judges and courts, as if we were conspiring to overthrow certain political options or certain political leaders, I believe is not acceptable at all". The president of the TSJM emphasised that the Spanish judicial system provides all procedural guarantees to appeal any ruling, and differentiated between legally questioning a decision and making generalised accusations against the judicial career.
The magistrate refrained from commenting on the substance of the investigation led by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado in the Begoña Gómez case, but supported the stance of the Supreme Court and the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), which have also defended the independence of judges against public disqualifications.
The context of institutional tension
The statements come in a climate of maximum institutional tension, following the opening of the oral trial and the precautionary measures agreed upon in the Begoña Gómez case, which have provoked a strong political response from the Government and the PSOE. Rodríguez Padrón lamented that certain media cases project a distorted image of Spanish Justice, and reminded that courts process around seven million proceedings each year. "It is not significant that five or ten cases receive extraordinary attention when the overall judicial activity is much greater," he pointed out.
The president of the TSJM insisted that any disagreement with a ruling must be channelled through the legal resources provided by law, and warned of the deterioration of institutional respect towards Justice. With this statement, he joins other voices from the judicial sphere calling for the preservation of the independence of the courts and to prevent political debate from eroding citizens' trust in the rule of law.
How does this controversy affect the citizens of Madrid?
For the people of Madrid, the defence of judicial independence has a direct impact on the perception of the impartiality of the courts operating in the region. The TSJM is the highest judicial body in the Community of Madrid, and its decisions affect cases ranging from criminal to administrative contentious matters. Rodríguez Padrón wanted to convey a message of reassurance: Justice in Madrid is functioning normally and the procedural guarantees are intact. The debate on lawfare, however, adds a layer of polarisation that, according to the magistrate, does not correspond to the reality of daily judicial life.
The president of the TSJM concluded his remarks by reminding that judges do not act driven by political interests, but by applying the law. A message that, in times of institutional distrust, seeks to reinforce the credibility of the judicial system among citizens.
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