CGPJ bombarded with demands for chief justice to step down

Four members of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) will again demand on Thursday that Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Dívar give a public explanation for the 20 weekend trips he took to Marbella, which were paid for in part with public funds.

The pressure on Dívar to resign continues to grow, with more than 1,300 people having sent requests to the CGPJ demanding that the chief justice step down.

Dívar, 70, has refused to give up his positions as the head of the top court and president of the CGPJ after he was accused by a council member of using 13,000 euros from judiciary funds to pay for a series of extended weekend jaunts to Puerto Banús between 2008 and March of this year.

A call for him to resign didn't muster enough votes during the CGPJ's last meeting, on Thursday. But the four council members who voted against Dívar - including José Manuel Gómez Benítez, who filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Office - say they will call on the chief justice to step aside once more. Dívar claims he was on official business, and separated his personal expenses from the costs he billed to the judiciary.

The Change.org website alone has collected 3,153 signatures demanding his resignation.