Andorra Judge Denies Intimate Ties Amid Recusal, Sparks Judicial Reform Debate

Núria García Val, president of the Tribunal de Corts, has firmly denied any intimate relationship with a lawyer charged in a case from which she was removed following a recusal request by the Public Prosecutor's Office. In comments to Diari d'Andorra, she stressed that her sole link to the attorney is professional, arising from standard judicial duties. "I have always been impartial, and my relationship with the charged lawyer is purely professional," she said.

The Prosecutor's Office escalated the recusal to the Constitutional Tribunal, which approved her removal from the case. García Val voiced respect for the decision, while disputing the prosecution's assertion of a personal connection. "If the Tribunal has deemed I must step aside, I can only respect the ruling," she remarked.

This dispute unfolded alongside a complaint by Silvestre Advocats, the lawyer's firm, which challenged the recusal process for procedural and substantive flaws. The firm warned that such actions could foster legal uncertainty and infringe on the right to a predetermined judge.

García Val described the past judicial year as "very delicate" due to staffing shortages that hampered operations and slowed case resolutions. She expressed optimism that planned personnel boosts would enhance efficiency and ease workloads in the new term.

The episode has reignited debate over Andorra's judicial system, with Josep Maria Rossell, president of the Superior Council of Justice (CSJ), pointing to rising recusals as a core vulnerability. In a small nation, he explained, judges often share prior roles as prosecutors or mayors, breeding conflicts that hinder tribunal assembly. Recent recusals by the prosecution itself—an unprecedented step—exacerbate the issue. "We are recusing more and more magistrates; if this trend persists, no one will be able to judge anything in this country," Rossell cautioned.

Rossell also addressed ongoing challenges to judicial appointments, defending the current framework that allows external jurists alongside internal paths. This system, he argued, aligns with the 1993 Constitution and suits Andorra's demographics, where full Andorranisation remains impractical. "Andorranisation is already in place, but it cannot be 100% in a small country like ours," he told Altaveu.

The CSJ recently reiterated this stance in a Tribunal Superior case brought by mayor Alexandra Terés, who contested the selection of Catalan magistrate Míriam de Rosa for a Tribunal de Corts post over her own candidacy. Supported by figures including former prosecutor Alfons Alberca and TEDH judge Canòlic Mingorance, Terés argued for complete Andorranisation. Rossell countered that the dispute tests the constitutionality of external hires, not the specific choice, insisting the process follows qualified justice laws. "There are four ways to enter the judicial career—three internal and one external—and we have used them all correctly," he said. The case, advanced but potentially heading to constitutional review, underscores tensions over judicial independence and composition.