Corruption scandal in Spain
High-ranking officials from Spain's conservative People's Party reportedly received money from party slush funds over a period of several years. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is also under suspicion. Is the government of the crisis-stricken country on the verge of collapse?
El Mundo - Spain | Friday, 8. March 2013
The Spanish public prosecutor's office suspects a connection between the Gürtel corruption case and the slush fund accounts of the former treasurer of the conservative PP, Luis Bárcenas. On Thursday it therefore announced that it had decided to put the investigation of both cases into the hands of the same judge. Finally the judiciary is shedding light on what the PP had tried to hide, the conservative daily El Mundo applauds: » more
The Spanish public prosecutor's office suspects a connection between the Gürtel corruption case and the slush fund accounts of the former treasurer of the conservative PP, Luis Bárcenas. On Thursday it therefore announced that it had decided to put the investigation of both cases into the hands of the same judge. Finally the judiciary is shedding light on what the PP had tried to hide, the conservative daily El Mundo applauds: "Even if nothing has been proven at this stage, the new evidence points to the PP having received illegal funds through the Gürtel network [the network around entrepreneur Francisco Correa, whose name means 'Gürtel' in German, or belt in English]. … The PP wanted to buy time to avert a scandal and protect its leading politicians who had cashed in on hefty illegal additions to their salaries. It pretended to conduct an internal investigation to cover up the suspected illegal financing. It's clear that Rajoy and the party leadership were far more concerned about hiding their dirty washing than uncovering the origins of Bárcenas' wealth. … Now it's too late. The judiciary will take over that task."
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eldiario.es - Spain | Thursday, 21. February 2013
During the debate on the state of the nation in the Spanish parliament, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy avoided the subject of his party's former treasurer, Luis Bárcenas. The latter had 22 million euros stashed away in Swiss bank accounts and cheekily gave journalists the finger when they questioned him about this on Sunday. Ignacio Escolar voices his outrage in his blog with the left-leaning online paper eldiario.es: » more
During the debate on the state of the nation in the Spanish parliament, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy avoided the subject of his party's former treasurer, Luis Bárcenas. The latter had 22 million euros stashed away in Swiss bank accounts and cheekily gave journalists the finger when they questioned him about this on Sunday. Ignacio Escolar voices his outrage in his blog with the left-leaning online paper eldiario.es: "Rajoy called for corruption to be hunted down 'as soon as it appears', although the prime minister didn't explain whether he wants to catch the corrupt only to give them a 200,000 euro per year salary, as he did with the accused Luis Bárcenas for three years. The ex-treasurer of the PP shined by his absence from the discourse, even though his stink hangs in the air. Rajoy avoided the subject - describing the incriminating accusations against himself as 'slanderous'. It was as if he was ignoring an enormous elephant in the middle of the room, weighing 22 million euros and giving the citizens the finger."
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El País - Spain | Wednesday, 20. February 2013
While in Germany two ministers, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Annette Schavan, have been forced to step down for plagiarism in their doctoral theses, Spanish politicians cling to their posts despite serious accusations of corruption. Legal philosopher Jorge Urdánoz attributes this to differences between the party systems: » more
While in Germany two ministers, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Annette Schavan, have been forced to step down for plagiarism in their doctoral theses, Spanish politicians cling to their posts despite serious accusations of corruption. Legal philosopher Jorge Urdánoz attributes this to differences between the party systems: "It was of course Guttenberg's party that forced him to resign. In Germany, the parties purge themselves. … What connects the two-party system and corruption? Everything. In such a system the voters are not the sovereign of the two major parties, but their subjects. Because both parties play the game knowing that the electoral system - or in this case the rules of the game - work to their advantage. They know that in the end the score will always add up in their favour. The [ruling conservative] PP can rely on attack being the best form of defence because they know that in the next election the millions of voters will have no option but to choose between them and the Socialists. So the conservatives know that all those who are to the right of the Socialists will give their votes to the PP."
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El País - Spain | Monday, 18. February 2013
The Spanish public is discussing a new case of corruption. Arturo Fernández, deputy chairman of the CEOE employers' association, has been accused of paying employees in an unlawful manner. But none of the politicians accused of corruption has any intention of resigning, the left-liberal daily El País criticises: » more
The Spanish public is discussing a new case of corruption. Arturo Fernández, deputy chairman of the CEOE employers' association, has been accused of paying employees in an unlawful manner. But none of the politicians accused of corruption has any intention of resigning, the left-liberal daily El País criticises: "In Spain anyone caught red-handed, whether his name is Bárcenas, [Health Minister] Mato or Fernández, will then try to wriggle his way out of the situation in any way he can, doing a balancing act, trying to divert attention from the subject or dragging others into the mess. They protest their innocence (as if it was of a strictly legal nature, devoid of any political implications), deny the veracity of documents or claim to be the victims of a plot. They even go as far as publishing their tax returns to divert attention. But they may just as well publish their prayer books, because neither the former nor the latter contribute anything to clearing up matters."
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El País - Spain | Friday, 15. February 2013
The asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass by the Earth on Friday evening at a distance of approximately 27,500 kilometres without causing any damage, according to the predictions of Nasa experts. The asteroid is diverting our attention from things that are far more dangerous, the left-liberal daily El País points out: » more
The asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass by the Earth on Friday evening at a distance of approximately 27,500 kilometres without causing any damage, according to the predictions of Nasa experts. The asteroid is diverting our attention from things that are far more dangerous, the left-liberal daily El País points out: "Don Yeomans, the Nasa scientist who has soothed our fears regarding the asteroid that will skim by us today, has also said that the probability of dying from the impact of one of these celestial bodies is 1 in 40,000. That sounds pretty improbable, it's true, but not if we compare it with the odds of winning the 52 million jackpot in this week's EuroMillions lottery, which are at one in 116,531,800. And yet we still play. But leaving aside the probability calculations, the advantage of speculating about asteroids is that it enlightens us. And it also distracts us from other major impacts like the corruption scandal, which is sending bigger and bigger shock waves."
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Diário de Notícias - Portugal | Tuesday, 12. February 2013
The conservative People's Party (PP) led by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has plummeted in the popularity ratings to its lowest level in 20 years. In parliamentary elections it would obtain just 33.5 percent of the vote, according to an opinion poll published on Sunday. But the opposition Socialists have failed to capitalise on the corruption scandal, the liberal-conservative daily Diário de Notícias notes: » more
The conservative People's Party (PP) led by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has plummeted in the popularity ratings to its lowest level in 20 years. In parliamentary elections it would obtain just 33.5 percent of the vote, according to an opinion poll published on Sunday. But the opposition Socialists have failed to capitalise on the corruption scandal, the liberal-conservative daily Diário de Notícias notes: "It is not the austerity measures that are responsible for PP's waning popularity but the corruption scandal plaguing the ruling party. ... Even if Rajoy claims he never received illicit funds, a large proportion of his voters have deserted him. But the biggest surprise is the inability of the opposition Socialists to turn the PP's slump to their own advantage. ... Opposition leader Rubalcaba continues to call for Rajoy's resignation instead of keeping an eye on the communists and other left-wing forces. The dissatisfaction and discrediting of the politicians is pushing voters towards parties that haven't been in government for 30 years."
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eldiario.es - Spain | Monday, 11. February 2013
Spanish President Mariano Rajoy published his tax returns on Saturday in reaction to the continuing accusations of corruption. They may expose his love of money but they don't say anything about whether Rajoy received illegal payments from the party or not, Ignacio Escolar points out in his blog with the left-wing online newspaper eldiario.es: » more
Spanish President Mariano Rajoy published his tax returns on Saturday in reaction to the continuing accusations of corruption. They may expose his love of money but they don't say anything about whether Rajoy received illegal payments from the party or not, Ignacio Escolar points out in his blog with the left-wing online newspaper eldiario.es: "The prime minister of cuts and austerity increased his own hefty salary as a party functionary by 27.2 percent in the years between 2007 and 2011. It went up by 40,000 euros to more than 200,000 euros per year in the very same years that most Spaniards were having to tighten their belts. Between 2010 and 2011, while he froze salaries in the public sector, Rajoy raised his salary in the People's Party by ten percent. That's what you call setting a good example. Meanwhile the fiscal data released by the government says nothing about the scandal unleashed by the Bárcenas documents. What a surprise: there's no sign of any of the alleged illegal payments in the tax returns."
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WOZ - Die Wochenzeitung - Switzerland | Thursday, 7. February 2013
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is under suspicion of corruption, adding one more to the list of over 300 Spanish politicians currently under investigation for corruption and abuse of office. Such crimes have been dealt with too leniently in the past, and in these times of harsh austerity measures the patience of the Spanish people is quite rightly at an end, the left-leaning weekly paper WOZ writes: » more
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is under suspicion of corruption, adding one more to the list of over 300 Spanish politicians currently under investigation for corruption and abuse of office. Such crimes have been dealt with too leniently in the past, and in these times of harsh austerity measures the patience of the Spanish people is quite rightly at an end, the left-leaning weekly paper WOZ writes: "If the system of give and take has survived for so long, it's because politicians had too little to fear. Violations of the party financing law fall under the statute of limitations after four years, but the audit reports of the Court of Accounts - whose funds have been cut in the current budget - take five years on average. And if it does come to a criminal conviction, the chances for a pardon are not at all bad. ... Thousands of Spaniards are now calling for new elections. But Prime Minister Rajoy will do all he can to thwart such plans. According to the most recent surveys, his party would receive only 24 percent of the vote, compared with 45 percent in November 2011."
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Der Standard - Austria | Saturday, 2. February 2013
Spain's Prime Minister Marian Rajoy refuted all accusations of corruption levied against him on Saturday. Nonetheless, Spain's credibility is on the line here, the left-liberal daily Der Standard warns ahead of the Rajoy's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel this Monday in Berlin: » more
Spain's Prime Minister Marian Rajoy refuted all accusations of corruption levied against him on Saturday. Nonetheless, Spain's credibility is on the line here, the left-liberal daily Der Standard warns ahead of the Rajoy's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel this Monday in Berlin: "Here, at the very latest, he will have to justify himself to the EU's most powerful head of government and then - at the joint press conference - to the international media. And nothing less than Spain's credibility is at stake. Rajoy has his back to the wall. He would do well to recognise that his tried and tested strategy of taking a deep breath, ducking under the water and waiting a while before surfacing again won't work this time. He is no longer the influential local politician with no one to fear in Galicia, but the top representative of an EU member state which has been tottering on the brink of a fiscal policy abyss for months now, with the whole world watching. If he falls, Spain could also fall."
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Público - Portugal | Monday, 4. February 2013
Rajoy's attempts at explanation are not very convincing, the liberal daily Público writes: » more
Rajoy's attempts at explanation are not very convincing, the liberal daily Público writes: "Rajoy has been cornered unlike very few EU politicians before him. It won't be enough to simply maintain that the accusations are false. Nor will it be of any use to make his tax returns public, as he has announced he will do. By definition, bribes are not declared to the tax authorities. It's hard to see whom Rajoy is trying to appease with these promises. ... He himself must prove that the accusations are false. If, however, it turns out that he is lying, Spain will never forgive him. Rajoy has already lost in any case: he began by staying silent and now he is promising full transparency with documents that won't clarify anything. Or has he got a trump up his sleeve? The bull of corruption is roaming free and nothing is being done to catch him."
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El Periódico de Catalunya - Spain | Monday, 4. February 2013
The protests of innocence made by the Spanish Prime Minister on Saturday will not put an end to the corruption scandal, the left-liberal daily El Periódico de Catalunya notes and calls for new elections and radical reforms: » more
The protests of innocence made by the Spanish Prime Minister on Saturday will not put an end to the corruption scandal, the left-liberal daily El Periódico de Catalunya notes and calls for new elections and radical reforms: "The Bárcenas case and its ramifications must be the final straw for the citizens. The corruption in our country has made the political situation unbearable and the renewal of our democracy an imperative. We need to dissolve both chambers of parliament and call new elections. These elections must produce a government that within the space of a year reforms the judiciary, abolishes the Senate or establishes a new one, and overhauls the system of the autonomous regions and public administration according to the model in countries like Sweden, the Netherlands or Switzerland, where transparency is the norm. … Otherwise we will be the laughing stock of Europe."
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Público - Portugal | Friday, 1. February 2013
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has been accused of receiving illegal wage top-ups. According to a report published in El País on Thursday, leading members of the conservative People's Party (PP) regularly received money from secret bank accounts between 1997 and 2008. The affair could mean the end of Rajoy's political career, the liberal daily Público writes: » more
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has been accused of receiving illegal wage top-ups. According to a report published in El País on Thursday, leading members of the conservative People's Party (PP) regularly received money from secret bank accounts between 1997 and 2008. The affair could mean the end of Rajoy's political career, the liberal daily Público writes: "At a time when further sacrifices are being demanded from the citizens to fight the economic crisis and fix public finances, these revelations are like a ticking time bomb. The PP secretary general denies the existence of the secret accounts. But the trail in an investigation into another bribery scandal has led to the PP's former treasurer Bárcenas, and these latest accusations, if confirmed, could mean the end of Rajoy's government. Tomorrow at the meeting of the party leadership at the latest , he will have to break his silence and present irrefutable evidence against these accusations. ... Spain, which is already facing serious problems, may soon be left without a government."
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El Periódico de Catalunya - Spain | Tuesday, 29. January 2013
The gigantic corruption scandal that has hit the conservative People's Party led by Spanish head of government Mariano Rajoy has destroyed the Spaniards' trust in the political system, the left-liberal daily El Periódico de Catalunya concludes. The paper sees the election of a non-partisan individual, as was done in Italy, as the only way out of the political crisis: » more
The gigantic corruption scandal that has hit the conservative People's Party led by Spanish head of government Mariano Rajoy has destroyed the Spaniards' trust in the political system, the left-liberal daily El Periódico de Catalunya concludes. The paper sees the election of a non-partisan individual, as was done in Italy, as the only way out of the political crisis: "And who can help us out of this extraordinary situation? Early elections are not the solution. A glance at the surveys published in the press a few days ago suffices to see that the candidate of the biggest opposition party enjoys even less trust than the current head of government - and the latter is barely trusted himself. A problem like this can be solved like it was in Italy, by looking for someone honest for the post. The Spanish parties must agree on appointing someone as prime minister who inspires the citizens' trust."
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eldiario.es - Spain | Tuesday, 22. January 2013
Jorge Trías Sagnier, a former deputy in the Congress for the ruling People's Party (PP) in Spain, claimed on the weekend in the daily newspaper El País that for years the ex-treasurer of the PP, Luis Bárcenas, paid illicit funds to leading party functionaries without declaring them to the tax authorities. Spanish Prime Minister and PP leader Mariano Rajoy announced on Monday that there would be an investigation into the party finances. This is simply a diversionary manoeuvre, Ignacio Escolar fears in his blog with the left-leaning daily eldiario.es: » more
Jorge Trías Sagnier, a former deputy in the Congress for the ruling People's Party (PP) in Spain, claimed on the weekend in the daily newspaper El País that for years the ex-treasurer of the PP, Luis Bárcenas, paid illicit funds to leading party functionaries without declaring them to the tax authorities. Spanish Prime Minister and PP leader Mariano Rajoy announced on Monday that there would be an investigation into the party finances. This is simply a diversionary manoeuvre, Ignacio Escolar fears in his blog with the left-leaning daily eldiario.es: "Looking for the illicit funds of A in the official accounts of B is like going hunting with a fishing rod. They treat us like small children, singing us the nursery rhyme: 'The hares run in the sea and the sardines across the fields'. And we get precisely the same feeling when María Dolores de Cospedal [secretary general of the PP] announces in a stern voice that 'the PP is a party that is incompatible with corruption.' … If it had been up to the PP, Luis Bárcenars would never have gone on trial and would still be the party's treasurer today."
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