Spain's Supreme Court has found the country's best-known judge, Baltasar Garzon, guilty of authorising illegal recordings of lawyers' conversations.

He has been banned from the legal profession for 11 years.

Mr Garzon is best known for his efforts to extradite the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from London to face trial in Madrid.

He is also accused of exceeding his authority by wanting to investigate Franco-era disappearances.

That would violate a 1977 amnesty on crimes committed during General Franco's rule.

Mr Garzon believes that no amnesty can cover crimes against humanity

The 56-year-old also faces a third charge, of allegedly dropping an investigation into the head of Spain's biggest bank, Santander, after receiving payments for a course sponsored by the bank. No date has been set for that trial.

The prosecutions have been brought by private parties.

Seven judges at the Supreme Court in Madrid have been hearing the evidence, BBC News reported.