Judge denies bribery charges

SPAIN’S most prominent judge, already charged with abuse of power in a potentially career-ending indictment, denied any wrongdoing as he testified yesterday as a suspect in a separate bribery investigation that has compounded his woes.

Judge Baltasar Garzon – internationally known for having gone after former Chilean ruler Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden in Spain’s court system – testified as a suspect before the Supreme Court.

The bribery case centres on allegations that a big Spanish bank accused of tax fraud got lenient treatment from Garzon after it financed seminars he ran in New York City a few years ago.