Original text published by No es época para tontos.
A request intended to verify a possible conflict of interest involving a magistrate triggered an extraordinary chain of obstacles: an alleged verbal refusal to register the application, a formal notice sent by burofax, an administrative rejection, institutional silence, judicial inadmissibility and, finally, an appeal before the High Court.
This podcast critically examines the conduct of Andorra’s Civil Registry and Government. Instead of enabling an independent and proportionate verification, the institutions invoked privacy and data protection to block access to information that could help confirm or dismiss a matter of public interest. The most troubling element is that the magistrate concerned reportedly also held inspection responsibilities over the Civil Registry, while the available case file contains no clear evidence of a formal recusal in a matter directly affecting him.
The investigation does not claim that a real-estate scheme existed, nor does it attribute criminal or disciplinary liability to the magistrate. It examines an allegation that remains unproven and identifies the documents required to verify it: judicial decisions, enforcement files, auction records, successful bidders, beneficial ownership of companies and any family or financial links.
For now, the real scandal is not a proven auction irregularity, but the institutional resistance to allowing the facts to be checked. An administration confident in its legality facilitates scrutiny. An administration that builds walls damages the credibility of the State and strengthens the very suspicions it claims to reject.
