He has been likened to superman, the iceberg that struck the Titanic
and even the great head of Inquisition Torquemada. Those fighting
for justice love him. Those lurking in the darkness of the shadows,
smuggling drugs, playing naughty games with public funds or building
car bombs in the name of ETA hate him. In short, mention the name
Garzon and the forces of evil cringe.
Born in Jaen in 1955, Garzon's father worked in a gas station.
His mother came from the countryside. How could they ever have expected
that the second of their five children would become the real-life
equivalent of a cartoon super hero? He began his studies in a seminary,
where he was required to put in 16 hours daily. After secondary
school, he attended university in Sevilla, where he became a lawyer.
He could have returned to Jaen, but instead settled on living dangerously
in Madrid with his childhood sweetheart and three small children.
It's true, Garzon is fully aware that camera lenses are probably
not the only thing pointing at him as he walks briskly into his
offices every morning. Yet, in spite of death warrants issued by
ETA, the Colombian and Turkish Mafia, and numerous other "bad guys",
Garzon is untiring in his fight against corruption: money laundering,
drug trafficking, terrorism and government corruption. Yes, government
corruption. It was thanks to Garzon that the socialists went down
as he dredged up the ugly GAL scandal - in which government agents
were taking care of terrorists without the help of the justice system.
The governments of Argentina and Chile have not been exempt either,
as Garzon has dutifully looked after tortured and disappeared Spanish
citizens.
It is difficult to imagine that anyone has done more for the Spanish
justice system - especially its image in the public's eye - than
superman... er, Garzón.
