Spain’s Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz went on trial Monday over allegations that he leaked confidential information to the media, marking the first time in Spain’s modern history that the country’s top prosecutor has faced criminal charges.

The case, considered politically charged, has put additional pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s left-wing government, already entangled in several investigations involving people close to him.

García Ortiz is accused of sharing an email with journalists that was sent by a lawyer representing the partner of Madrid’s regional leader, Isabel Díaz Ayuso — a key figure in Spain’s conservative opposition. Ayuso’s partner, businessman Alberto González Amador, was being investigated for alleged tax fraud at the time.

The attorney general, who was appointed in 2022, has denied any wrongdoing and continues to receive public backing from Prime Minister Sánchez.

The case has deepened political tensions between Spain’s national government and Madrid’s conservative regional administration. The trial is expected to conclude next week.

Meanwhile, two former senior officials from Sánchez’s Socialist Party, along with the prime minister’s wife and brother, are facing separate corruption investigations. Sánchez himself is not named in any of the cases but has accused some judges of acting with political motives, particularly in relation to the probe into his wife Begoña Gómez’s business dealings.