Court Name: | National Court |
Native Name: | Audiencia Nacional |
Jurisdiction: | Spain |
Location: | Calle García Gutiérrez, 1, Madrid |
Authority: | Judiciary Organic Act |
Appealsto: | Supreme Court |
Chiefjudgetitle: | President |
Chiefjudgename: | José Ramón Navarro |
Termstart: | 8 January 2014 |
The Audiencia Nacional (pronounced as /es/; English: National Court) is a high court in Spain with jurisdiction over all of the Spanish territory. It is specialised in a certain scope of delinquency, having original jurisdiction over major crimes such as those committed against the Crown and its members, terrorism, forgery of currency, credit and debit cards and checks, some trade crimes committed in more than one region and over drug trafficking, food frauds and medical frauds committed in a nationwide level as well as over international crimes which come under the competence of Spanish courts. (LOPJ § 65). It has also appellate jurisdiction over the cases of the Criminal Chamber of the National Court (LOPJ § 64).[1]
Most of the rulings of the National Court can ultimately be appealed before the Supreme Court. Its seat lies in Madrid, at Calle García Gutiérrez, 1, located across the Plaza Villa de Paris from the Supreme Court.
The Audiencia Nacional was created in 1977 at the same time as the Court of Public Order, an exceptional court created during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, ceased to exist.
The Audiencia is composed of its President, the Presidents of the Chambers, and the magistrates that the law specifies for each one of its courts and divisions.
The Audiencia includes the following chambers:
Even when they are not part of the National Court, because they are in the same building, the Central Courts are popularly considered part of it. These courts have jurisdiction in all the national territory.
See main article: Prosecution Ministry.
See also: Attorney General of Spain.
The Prosecutor's Office of the National Court is the body of the Attorney General's Office that prosecute all the cases related to the National Court with the exception of those cases granted to the Special Prosecution Offices (Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office and Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime).
The Prosecutor's Office, and the Special Prosecution Offices are headed each one by a Chief Prosecutor and with a Lieutenant Prosecutor as second-in-command.