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Spain socialist heavyweight detained in corruption case: Legal sources

Spain socialist heavyweight detained in corruption case: Legal sources

LBCI30-06-2025
Spanish authorities on Monday detained former top Socialist Party official Santos Cerdan in a corruption case, marking a new blow to left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, judicial sources said.
Former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos has also been implicated in the investigation into kickbacks for public contracts. The sources said a Supreme Court judge ordered the detention of Cerdan, who has quit as the ruling party's organization secretary, as there was a "risk" he might try to flee or destroy evidence.
AFP
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