Spain: Judge Baltasar Garzon convicted for wiretapping
Spain: Judge Baltasar Garzon convicted for wiretapping
BBC News 9 Feb 2012
Spain's Supreme Court has found the country's best-known judge, Baltasar Garzon, guilty of authorising illegal recordings of lawyers' conversations.
He has been banned from the legal profession for 11 years. The court said he could not appeal aginst the ruling.
Mr Garzon is best known for helping to secure the arrest of the former Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet in London.
He also faces two other charges, including exceeding his authority by investigating Franco-era crimes.
Correspondents say the ruling by the Supreme Court effectively ends Mr Garzon's career as a judge.
Mr Garzon's supporters say the cases against him are politically motivated and have been taking part in demonstrations outside the court during the trial.
Franco-era amnesty
The judge's decision in 2008 to investigate the disappearance of tens of thousands of people during the Franco era, including ordering the excavation of mass graves, provoked fierce criticism and anger.
The probe allegedly violates an amnesty on crimes committed during General Franco's rule.
Mr Garzon, however, argued that no amnesty can cover crimes against humanity.
That trial ended on Wednesday but the verdict is likely to take weeks.
The 56-year-old also faces a third charge, of allegedly dropping an investigation into the head of Spain's biggest bank, Santander, after receiving payments for a course sponsored by the bank. No date has been set for that trial.
