Spain’s Attorney General Halts Case Against Alberto Gonzales

Spain was claiming criminal charges against Alberto Gonzales and five other Bush officials for torturing Spaniards at Gitmo but the Spanish Attorney General suddenly de-railed the investigation this morning. So…is that it?

Spain’s Attorney General, Candido Conde Pumpido, argued that the investigation should focus on those officials who are directly responsible for the torture, not on those who merely sanctioned it—meaning Gonzales and the other five officials could be completely off the hook for their actions. This is, incidentally, the argument the Bush administration used to try and defend Gonzales and the other five.

But the case isn’t closed yet, as Pumpido’s veto of the prosecutor’s case means that it now goes back to Judge Baltasar Garzon, who oversaw the original case against the terror suspects/torture victims.

If Judge Garzon decides to overturn Pumpido’s veto then the prosecution can go ahead with their case against Gonzales and the others. The likelihood of that happening depends on how ballsy Garzon is feeling—current political sentiment would encourage him to drop the case, as Spanish and U.S. officials are pushing for better relations between the two countries, and torture allegations put such a damper on the happy feelings.

New Hope for the Bush Six [The Daily Beast]