Judge dismisses case against Miguel Ángel Rodríguez over journalist identity leak

A judge has archived the criminal case against Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, the chief of staff of Madrid's president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for revealing the identity of two journalists from El País. The ruling concludes there are no indications of a crime of disclosing secrets or illegally using personal data. Source: Lavanguardia

Background

The case stems from March 2024, when Rodríguez sent a photo and the names of two reporters to a journalist chat group, accusing them of harassing neighbors near Ayuso's residence. Source: El Confidencial The journalists were investigating a potential illegal renovation by Ayuso's partner, Alberto González Amador. Initially, suspicions arose that Rodríguez obtained the information from police officers, but González Amador testified that he received the photo from a neighbor and forwarded it to Rodríguez. Source: ABC

Ruling

The judge determined that the photograph was provided by a neighbor, not by police, and that the journalists' names and image were already publicly available in their own newspaper. Source: Infobae The judge also noted that Rodríguez personally knew the reporters from previous professional encounters. This is the second time the case has been archived; the earlier dismissal was overturned by the Provincial Court, but new investigations have not changed the outcome. Source: El Español

Reaction

The complainants, including the Socialist Party (PSOE) and El País, had requested further evidence, such as analyzing Rodríguez's phone, but the judge deemed it unnecessary. Source: ABC The case highlights tensions between press freedom and privacy protections in Spain.