Audiencia Nacional of Spain
Encyclopedia
The Audiencia Nacional (National Court) is a a special and exceptional high court in Spain
. It has its seat in Madrid
and jurisdiction
over all of Spain and international crimes which come under the competence of Spanish courts.
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:
In most cases the rulings and decisions of these different divisions of the Audiencia Nacional can be appealed before the Supreme Court of Spain
.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It has its seat in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
over all of Spain and international crimes which come under the competence of Spanish courts.
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:
- Criminal Chamber, which is competent to try certain types of serious crimes such as terrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, money launderingMoney launderingMoney laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, genocideGenocideGenocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
, etc., makes decisions about extraditionExtraditionExtradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
demands by foreign countries and the execution of European arrest warrantEuropean Arrest WarrantThe European Arrest Warrant is an arrest warrant valid throughout all member states of the European Union . Once issued by a member state, it requires the receiving member state to arrest and transfer a criminal suspect or sentenced person to the issuing state so that the person can be put on...
s, and hears appeals against rulings of the Central Criminal Courts (Juzgados Centrales de lo Penal). - Appeals Chamber, which hears appeals against rulings of the Criminal Chamber.
- Administrative Chamber, which exercises judicial reviewJudicial reviewJudicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
of administrative decisions by senior officers (ministers of the Spanish government, secretaries of state) and certain specialised agencies (Spanish Data Protection AgencySpanish Data Protection Agency- Legal basis and foundation :The AEPD was established by Royal Decree 428/1993 of 26 March, as amended by Organic Law 15/1999 on the Protection of Personal Data. This amendment implemented Directive 95/46/EC...
, Concurrence Protection Commission, etc) - Social Chamber, hears appeals against resolutions of the Central Social Courts (Juzgados Centrales de los Social) regarding industrial disputes of nation-wide scope.
In most cases the rulings and decisions of these different divisions of the Audiencia Nacional can be appealed before the Supreme Court of Spain
Supreme Court of Spain
The Supreme Court of Spain is the highest court in Spain for all matters not pertaining to the Spanish Constitution. The court which meets in the Convent of the Salesas Reales in Madrid, consists of a president and an indeterminate number of magistrates appointed to the five chambers of the...
.
See also
- Constitutional Court of SpainConstitutional Court of Spainthumb|300px|The [[Domenico Scarlatti]] Building located in [[Madrid]], seat of the Constitutional Court of Justice of Spain.The Constitutional Court of Spain is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of the Spanish Government. It is...