Spanish judge ‘categorically’ denies politicization of judiciary

The Spanish Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena, in charge of investigating the case against pro-independence Catalan leaders, “categorically” denied that the justice system in Spain is politicized. Moreover, he considered it an “unfair” accusation.

In a speech at the Complutense University in Madrid on July 25, Llarena assured that in his professional life he never saw a judge work with “compromised” independence and denied having received any pressure himself.

The judge further defended the concept of a judge having an ideology. As he put it, the law Is “eight lines” that have to be applied in “thousands of cases.” Because of this, he insisted that the ideology of each judge allows him or her to “interpret the law,” with the objective that they altogether then bring a “sensible” interpretation “recognizable by society.”