Suspended Spanish judge who indicted Pinochet, bin Laden, given leave to head for Hague

MADRID – MADRID (AP) — Spain's judiciary has given a judge famous for indicting Osama bin Laden and Augusto Pinochet leave to take up a job as a consultant at The Hague's International Criminal Court even after he was suspended from the Spanish bench.

Gabriela Bravo, spokeswoman for Spain's General Council of the Judiciary oversight board said late Tuesday there were no legal impediments to Baltasar Garzon taking up a post in the ICC.

Garzon, 54, was suspended on charges of knowingly overstepping the bounds of his jurisdiction when he began investigating more than 100,000 civilian executions and disappearances at the hands of supporters of Gen. Francisco Franco during and after the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War.

Garzon denies any wrongdoing and says his probe was legitimate.