Politics

Spain's Supreme Court has found internationally known human rights judge Baltasar Garzon guilty of authorising the illegal recording of defence lawyers' conversations, a court spokesman said on Thursday.

The unanimous ruling disbars Garzon for 11 years. He cannot appeal against the ruling, the Supreme Court said.

The case is separate from one currently in progress in which Garzon is accused of illegally ordering an inquiry into tens of thousands of suspected murders by forces loyal to Francisco Franco.

The case involves allegations he illegally authorised police investigating a corruption case to record the conversations of lawyers with their clients in custody. Garzon told the court he had authorised the taping of conversations of defendants in custody only because lawyers were suspected of involvement in money laundering.

It was brought by two businessmen who are awaiting trial for allegedly bribing members of the centre-right People's Party (PP), which won a landslide election victory in November. "The conversations were taped...for a concrete and specific reason, that had nothing to do with their defence preparation," Garzon told Spain's Supreme Court. "All and every measure was taken to protect the right to a (fair) defence."