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Accusations of corruption circulating around Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialists continue to mount.
Police raided the Madrid headquarters of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party on Wednesday, plunging one of Europe's most popular progressive leaders deeper into corruption scandals that are drawing ever closer to the heart of his government.
In addition to the search of the Socialists' headquarters, the police also conducted searches in private homes and announced new corruption charges. The investigations are related to illegal party financing, influence peddling, and other criminal offenses.
Wednesday's raids followed the indictment filed on May 19 against former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a political mentor and close ally of Sánchez. Zapatero became the first former prime minister to face criminal charges since the return of democracy to Spain in 1975.
A National Court judge accused Zapatero of money laundering, influence peddling and other offenses related to the 53 million euro rescue package for the airline "Plus Ultra" during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
At the time, Pedro Sánchez was prime minister. In December, police arrested the company's president and CEO on money laundering charges linked to Venezuela. The company mainly operated flights between Spain and Latin America.
On May 19, police raided Zapatero's office in Madrid and seized documents as well as luxury jewelry, including diamond pendants, precious stones, luxury watches and gold chains, Spanish media reported. His office is located near the headquarters of the Socialist Party.
In addition to Zapatero, Sánchez's wife, his brother and former senior Socialist officials have also been implicated in corruption cases. In November last year, former attorney general Álvaro García Ortiz was found guilty of publishing confidential information against the conservative opposition.
This was the second raid on the Socialist headquarters in Madrid in a year.
Last June, anti-corruption agents raided the offices of Santos Cerdán, one of Sánchez's closest aides and former PSOE number three, after allegations of bribery. On Wednesday, Cerdán faced new charges and police also searched his home. He is accused of receiving kickbacks from companies in exchange for awarding public contracts.
Prosecutors have not named Sánchez as a suspect, but during recent court testimony, businessman Víctor de Aldama accused him of leading a scheme to manipulate public contracts and funnel money into party coffers. Aldama is cooperating with investigators.
The scandals have weighed heavily on the center-left Socialists and strengthened their right-wing opponents, the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox. These parties have won several regional elections recently, while the Socialists have suffered heavy losses.
Since the investigations into Zapatero, Sánchez's fragile government has faced even greater pressure, as the conservative opposition demands new elections.
" How many more raids? How many commissions? How many bribes? How much money in the bags? How much jewelry? How many more investigations? " declared the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
He called on small left-wing parties and Basque and Catalan nationalists to stop supporting the Sánchez government, which he described as "a government that stinks."
Fernando Casal Bértoa expressed doubts that Sánchez will resign.
" Under normal circumstances, he would resign and call new elections. But Sánchez is a political animal who knows how to survive ," he said.
According to him, the Basque and Catalan parties are afraid of overthrowing Sánchez, as the Popular Party and Vox oppose granting more autonomy to the regions.
In the 2023 parliamentary elections, the right failed to secure a majority and Sánchez made concessions to regional nationalist parties to stay in power.
Casal Bértoa warned that the scandals could cause serious damage to the Socialists, especially if investigations reveal links between senior government officials, Zapatero and the financial rescue of Plus Ultra.
On Wednesday, during a visit to the Vatican, Sánchez held his first press conference since the investigation into Zapatero. The Spanish prime minister said he would cooperate with investigators and denied allegations of illegal party financing.
Meanwhile, a judge also filed charges against Ana Fuentes, a manager of the Socialist Party, suspected of setting up a payment system aimed at discrediting judges, prosecutors and anti-corruption agents.
"She is a woman who has meticulously managed the finances of the Socialist Party," Sánchez told Fuentes.
He acknowledged that there is “a lot of speculation” about irregular funding, but added that he would “act decisively” if concrete evidence emerged. / Adapted from “Courthouse News”
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