U.S. WhatsApp data concerning the Attorney General delivered to the Supreme Court, prompts the UCO for scrutiny
In a recent development, Judge Ángel Hurtado of the Supreme Court has been graced with a rogatory commission from the US, containing vital information regarding the WhatsApp communications of the Attorney General of the State, Álvaro García Ortiz. Reminiscent of his investigation with Google, Judge Hurtado has established a separate piece of evidence, shielded under secrecy, and called upon the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO) to analyze it.
This freshest of rulings echoes an earlier one, expressing confidence in the data request made to both tech giants. To clarify, Judge Hurtado petitioned for these data points after the UCO pinpointed that García Ortiz had deleted his WhatsApp messages and deactivated his Gmail account.
Lest we forget, the UCO revealed that the Attorney General's WhatsApp messages disappeared the very day the Supreme Court commenced its proceedings.
Rogatory Commission to the US
In the initial phase of the investigation, a rogatory commission was sent to Ireland in a quest for data that may have been stored by Google and WhatsApp. However, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, the parent company of WhatsApp, being managed within the US borders, necessitated a different approach. Thus, Judge Hurtado initiated a fresh rogatory commission to the US.
Intriguingly, Ireland did manage to dispatch the pertinent Google data last Tuesday, encapsulated within a zip folder. Conversely, Judge Hurtado shares that the US authorities have graced us with two zip folders and two written statements relating to WhatsApp.
Much like his interactions with Google, Judge Hurtado has assigned the UCO the task of evaluating the WhatsApp data received from this rogatory commission, keeping the investigation's facts and the dates of March 8 and 14, 2024, in focus. The UCO has been given a month to scrutinize the material.
These diligences form part of the ongoing investigations against García Ortiz and the head of the Provincial Fiscalía of Madrid, Pilar Rodríguez. The inquiry revolves around suspicions of breaching secrets involving García Ortiz, specifically concerning communications related to a fiscal fraud case involving Alberto González Amador, the partner of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the President of the Madrid region.
Hurtado has zeroed in on three essential aspects: the leak of the existence of an investigation against González Amador for alleged fiscal offenses; the email sent on February 2, 2024, by his defense to the prosecutor investigating him, Julián Salto, offering to acknowledge said offenses in order to negotiate a settlement; and the press release issued by the Fiscalía on March 14 of that same year, reporting on that email chain.
- Judge Hurtado, following his investigation with Google, has initiated a fresh rogatory commission to the US, as Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, the parent company of WhatsApp, is managed within the US borders.
- The US authorities have graced Judge Hurtado with two zip folders and two written statements relating to WhatsApp, which he has assigned the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO) to evaluate.
- These diligences form part of the ongoing investigations against García Ortiz and the head of the Provincial Fiscalía of Madrid, Pilar Rodríguez, focusing on suspicions of breaching secrets related to a fiscal fraud case.
- Intriguingly, Ireland managed to dispatch the pertinent Google data last Tuesday, while the US authorities delivered the WhatsApp data requested by the rogatory commission on Wednesday.
