The judge who was part of Sánchez's government and who has now prevented his wife from travelling

MadridFour weeks after Pedro Sánchez arrived at Moncloa, the new Minister of Justice, Dolores Delgado, hired Antonio Viejo (Madrid, 1959) as Secretary General of the Administration of Justice. For two years, he was in charge of “driving, directing and monitoring” the “modernization, organization and distribution of human and material resources” of the justice administration and relations, for example, with the General Council of the Judiciary or the Public Prosecutor's Office. He remained in office until February 2020, after the formation of the coalition government between the PSOE and Unidas Podemos.

Antonio Viejo is affiliated with the Francisco de Vitoria Judicial Association (AJFV), the second largest judicial association in terms of members and with an independent character. “It is a sign of unequivocal change,” they celebrated upon learning of his election. Eight years later, he has been the judge who has prohibited Begoña Gómez from traveling to Turkey to attend the NATO summit accompanying the Spanish president, although he has allowed her to attend her daughter's graduation in London.

His appointment came two months after he demonstrated against the Minister of Justice of Mariano Rajoy. Together with more than 400 members of the judiciary, he expressed his “discontent” with Rafael Catalá for not having committed to supporting a package of proposals to improve justice.

Ayuso's partner's second judge

In September 2025, his name made headlines because he won the transfer competition to replace Inmaculada Iglesias, who requested voluntary retirement and was the one who had initiated the case against Alberto González Amador, Isabel Díaz Ayuso's partner. She had brought him to the brink of trial for tax fraud, and he inherited the investigation into his relationship with Quirón.

Antonio Viejo took six months to authorize the Guardia Civil to investigate the businessman's accounts. The UCO also wanted to scrutinize his tax information and Social Security data, but the magistrate closed the door on it. The agents consider it "indispensable" and of "great relevance," and they regret that not having it "enormously complicates" the preparation of the report they have been tasked with and causes "harm" to the public interest and to the investigated parties because it unnecessarily prolongs the investigation.