Squabbling legal watchdog members vote on new chief

Members of Spain’s fractious General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) are due on Tuesday to hold a plenary session to try and agree a replacement for the watchdog’s former president, Carlos Dívar, who resigned last month after using taxpayers’ money to pay for personal trips.

The meeting takes place after Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón on Friday proposed changing the law on how members are appointed by allowing 12 of its 20 members to be directly elected by judges — a majority of whom are in the conservative camp — rather than their nominations having to be agreed by the main political parties.

The infighting seen during the Dívar affair was again visible in the calling of Tuesday’s meeting, which was initially rejected by acting president Fernando de Rosa, who eventually caved into a formal request by Margarita Robles and two other members.

In a heated meeting last week, Robles told De Rosa: “That’s how Dívar started out and you’re going down the same road,” later adding: “Either you call the meeting, or you’ll leave in July in disgrace, like him.” Sources at the meeting said they were unaware of the basis for Robles’ threat.