Pedro Sánchez's socialist government approved a sweeping judicial reform on Tuesday that places the direction of criminal investigations in the hands of the Prosecutor's Office, a body dependent on the Executive. This is the new Criminal Procedure Bill, which also limits the role of popular prosecution and will be sent to Congress for consideration. It will come into force on January 1, 2028, without affecting cases currently underway.
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, praised the initiative as a "modernization of the criminal process" and stated that it seeks to "Europeanize" the judicial system. However, the opposition and much of the judiciary see it as an attempt to politically control the justice system.
With the new regulation, the Public Prosecutor's Office will be responsible for conducting investigations, while a "guarantee judge" will oversee procedural aspects and the protection of essential rights. Two other judges will intervene in the trial and sentencing stages. According to Bolaños, the measure will streamline proceedings and strengthen the guarantees of defendants and victims, but critics argue the opposite.
