Spain Supreme Court judge resigns over beach trips
Jun 21, 2012, 12:44 PM
MADRID (AP) – The chief justice of Spain’s Supreme Court has resigned amid allegations he billed the government for dozens of private trips to seaside resorts.
Carlos Divar, 70, announced his resignation Thursday at a meeting of a 20-member judicial oversight board of which he is also the chairman.
A board official who attended said Divar denied any wrongdoing, and said was stepping down after a month of headline-grabbing pressure to avert further damage to the image of Spain’s judicial branch.
The complaint was filed by another member of the oversight board. It asserted Divar filed for reimbursement for trips to resorts like Marbella when they were personal in nature. Divar says they were work-related.
The board official said the body’s practice is that judges don’t need to justify their travel expenses.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)