Corruption Scandals Surround the Ruling Spanish Party

b4d65-logo-ppThe ruling Spanish Partido Popular (People’s Party) faces today a complicated situation due to several of its members being linked to corruption schemes.

That led to the resignation of Health Minister, Ana Mato, who took part in lucrative transfers in the so-called Grutel case, benefiting from illegal money obtained by Jesus Pozuelo, her ex-husband and ex-mayor of Pozuelo.

Three of the last four party’s treasurers are accused in the same case, of which Luis Barcenas has been in prison for more than a year in a different but related process called the Barcenas case, based on hidden payments to top officials in the People’s Party,or PP, using illegally obtained funds.

The other ex-treasurers are Alvaro Lapuerta and Angel Sanchis, but the fourth (the only one not to be charged this time), is Rosendo Naseiro, was involved in a case of illegal financing of the PP in 1990, filed after the Supreme Court overturned the evidence, reminds today Diario Público (or Public Newspaper).

If the judge Pablo Ruz, of the National Audience, who closed the investigation of the case yesterday, chooses to continue the legal proceedings, the PP will also be held responsible in the participation in the corruption schemes, due to benefitting itself with almost 237 thousand euro.

The network of the Gurtel case was based on gaining irregular contracts from several public administrations of the Community of Madrid, Estepona (Malaga), and Castilla y León between 1999 and 2005. According to the case file, the PP paid with illegal money, by means of a so-called B-Box-unrelated to the treasury- Sepulveda’s campaigns (111 864.32 euro) and Guillermo Ortega’s to the municipality of Majadahonda (125,000 euros).

Ruza’s inquiry determined that the brains behind the network were entrepreneurs Francisco Correa and Pablo Crespo, creators of a network dedicated to illegally obtaining public awards from administrations governed by the PP in exchange for handouts.

The corruption cases, as well as the PP’s reluctance to take responsibility for those involved, joins the poor economic performance and the deterioration of the social services, which undermine popular support for the party of the president Mariano Rajoy.

According to recent polls, the PP will lose 17 to 20 percentage points in the general elections in late 2015 or early 2016, and would go from being the Spanish hegemonic party to a second or third place, losing important seats like Madrid. (PL)

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