Latest news with #SpanishSocialistWorkers'Party
Euronews
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Scandal-hit Spanish government unveils measures to tackle corruption
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government has announced fresh plans to tackle corruption as the leader attempts to contain the political fallout from graft accusations against members of his Socialist Party. The administration appears increasingly imperilled by a slew of allegations, with Sánchez facing pressure from his opponents to call a snap election. In June, a Supreme Court judge ordered a former senior official, Santos Cerdán, to be held in pre-trial detention as part of a corruption inquiry. As well as investigating allegations against Cerdán, who resigned earlier that month, the former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos and his aide Koldo Garcia, are also being probed after being accused of involvement in a plot to get kickbacks for awarding public works contracts. All three deny the allegations. The case involving Cerdán, who had served as the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party's (PSOE) organisational secretary, is arguably the most serious in a series of scandals that have forced Sánchez to issue public apologies and deflect rivals' calls for his resignation. In a speech on Wednesday, which he prefaced with an apology to parliamentarians and the public for the scandal, Sánchez said he would remain in his post, saying that while he had considered calling an election, he had decided against it. "I won't throw in the towel. We're going to continue," he said. The government on Wednesday announced 15 measures designed in conjunction with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's anti-corruption team and other partners that aim to root out graft. The plan is split into five areas: risk prevention and bolstering measures against corruption; protecting whistleblowers; boosting the state's capacity to investigate and punish allegations; recovery of assets stolen through corruption; and creating a culture of integrity. The specific measures include the creation of a new, independent watchdog on integrity, introducing artificial intelligence to the the public sector contracting platform to flag signs of fraud, the strengthening of independent audit requirements for political parties and enhancing transparency over political donations. Whistleblowers are to receive guarantees of confidentiality and legal protection, while companies and public administrations will have to set up internal reporting channels. Companies that have been convicted of corruption will be blacklisted from future government contracts, while sanctions against political parties will also be toughened. The plan will also step up criminal penalties for graft, double the statutes of limitations for such cases and hike fines for firms convicted of corruption. Sánchez has maintained that there will be no election until the scheduled vote in 2027.
Euractiv
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Spain's Sánchez fights for survival as crisis reaches fever pitch
MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is running out of ideas and allies to save his socialist party and coalition government as an alleged, "mafia-like" kickback scheme creeps ever closer to his own office. Sánchez received a standing ovation this weekend from the party faithful at their party congress in Madrid, where he was unanimously reaffirmed as leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, widely known by its acronym, PSOE. The display of unity was about damage control, as just hours before Sánchez's close ally, Francisco Salazar, resigned after several women accused him of sexual harassment and abuse of power. He was due to take up the post of deputy secretary in the party's organisational secretariat. Across the city, the opposition Partido Popular (PP) was also holding its own congress, launching a perfectly timed charm offensive to capitalise on Sánchez's political fragility. If elections were held today, the PSOE would lose, according to a survey by 40dB for El País . To make things worse for the socialist prime minister, opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said on Sunday he would not rule out alliances with the far-right Vox party. For Sanchez, the weekend congress was an attempt to turn the page by bringing in new blood after the corruption probe engulfing the party forced one key figure after another to step down. The case began in February 2024 when prosecutors launched an operation to unravel an alleged Covid-era corruption scheme involving bribes connected to mask contracts worth millions. Along the way, prosecutors uncovered a network of kickbacks, rigged tenders, and influence peddling that may extend into the core of Spain's ruling party. The Koldo case Last year, the anti-corruption prosecutor's office ordered the Guardia Civil's top investigative unit to arrest Koldo García, a former advisor to ex-Transport Minister Ábalos, for illicitly granting public awards to private companies in exchange for kickbacks. That arrest opened the door to a wider probe into Ábalos himself, who was already ousted from government in 2021 but clung to his MP seat in the independent group – protected by parliamentary immunity. Then came the testimony from businessman Víctor de Aldama, an alleged middleman between companies and government officials. In December 2024, he told the Supreme Court that Sánchez's right-hand man and PSOE's number three, Cerdán, played a key role in the kickback scheme. But the rot, it turned out, was not confined to pandemic procurement. Investigators have since uncovered suspect contracts in the construction industry, revealing rigged public tenders and illicit payments to companies allegedly linked to Koldo, Ábalos, and Cerdán. Cerdán allegedly received €600,000 kickbacks tied to the improper awarding of public work contracts. One business is also said to have delivered €90,000 in cash directly to PSOE headquarters in Madrid, as reported by Spanish outlet The Objective. Adding to the pressure, Aldama has publicly said more audio recordings, which could implicate the prime minister directly, are likely to be released in the future. Sánchez denies any wrongdoing. A 'bombshell' case The scandal was brought into the spotlight in June when the bombshell police report of the Koldo case was made public. Soon after, the Supreme Court judge ordered the preventative detention of Cerdán under charges of "membership of a criminal organisation, influence peddling and bribery." "It has been a bombshell, nobody expected this dimension, nobody expected that PSOE number three could be involved in a corruption plot," a PSOE spokesperson told Euractiv, adding the socialist party felt "used" by Cerdán. More police reports are expected in July and Koldo and Ábalos are regularly being summoned to testify in court, El Confidencial reported. Tensions inside PSOE have only deepened since Ábalos last week signalled his willingness to negotiate with prosecutors. Ábalos might expose the full scheme to avoid prison, potentially implicating sitting cabinet members and even Sánchez himself. The question gripping Spain's political class is no longer just whether Sánchez can save his party, but whether he can save himself. (mm)
Euractiv
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Sánchez's ally quits Socialist party post amid sexual harassment allegations
MADRID – Francisco Salazar, a close ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has resigned from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) before officially taking up his new post as deputy secretary in the party's organisational secretariat. Salazar, one of the names proposed by Sánchez for the party's revamped leadership, stepped down after several women accused him of sexual harassment and abuse of power, Spanish outlet revealed . His resignation comes before his appointment had formally taken effect. The announcement has cast a shadow over the PSOE's highest decision-making body meeting on Saturday, which was meant to mark a fresh start for the party's executive leadership with new appointments and a stricter code of ethics. It is also the latest in a series of scandals threatening to shake the foundations of the EU's most powerful socialist-led government and the bloc's fourth-largest economy. Sánchez had already vowed to implement internal restructuring measures in June to address the fallout from a report from the Guardia Civil's top investigative unit linking his party to a 'mafia-style' corruption scheme involving close allies and former cabinet members. So far, those implicated include former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán, Sánchez's long-time confidant and former PSOE's organisation secretary. Sánchez has repeatedly affirmed his party's 'zero-tolerance policy' towards corruption and that immediate and harsh measures 'had already been taken' against his close allies accused of embezzlement of public funds, as Cerdán voluntarily resigned from his post. Salazar, Sánchez's adviser since 2016, was due to join the new secretariat of organisation as one of three deputy secretaries. The body is headed by Rebeca Torró, the current secretary of state for industry, and also includes Anabel Mateos and Borja Cabezón. 'The party totally rejects sexist behaviours,' government spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, reportedly said on Saturday upon learning of the statements, adding that the PSOE will 'vigorously take measures' against such behaviour. (mm)
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Spain socialist heavyweight detained in corruption case: legal sources
MADRID: Spanish authorities on Monday detained former top Socialist party official Santos Cerdan in a corruption case that is a new blow for left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, judicial sources said. Former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos has also been implicated in the investigation into kickbacks for public contracts, which has created the biggest political crisis Sanchez has faced since taking office in 2018. The sources said a Supreme Court judge ordered the detention of Cerdan, who has quit as the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party organisation secretary -- the ruling party's number three post -- as there was a 'risk' he might try to flee or destroy evidence. He is being held without bail on allegations of corruption, money laundering and criminal association, the sources said. Cerdan denied the accusation in an audience with the lead investigating judge on Monday, saying he was the victim of a political plot, they said. Sanchez has sought to distance himself and the Socialist party from the scandal, which involves suspicions of dirty dealings in the purchase of health equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'The Socialist party reacted firmly from the start,' the prime minister said. 'Santos Cerdan was dismissed' from the party when the revelations emerged, he added when questioned about the case at an international conference in Seville. A police report has said there was evidence including audio recordings suggesting Cerdan received payments in exchange for irregularly awarded public contracts. Abalos, the prime minister's former right-hand man, and a top adviser, Koldo Garcia, are also among the suspects targeted in the investigation. Sanchez has repeatedly apologized over the case and denied knowledge of the alleged scheme. But the opposition has called for the prime minister to resign.
Local Spain
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Official for Spain's ruling Socialists sent to prison for corruption
Former transport minister José Luis Ábalos has also been implicated in the investigation into kickbacks for public contracts, which has created the biggest political crisis Sanchez has faced since taking office in 2018. The sources said a Supreme Court judge ordered the detention of Cerdán, who has only recently quit as the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party organisation secretary -- the ruling party's number three post -- as there was a "risk" he might try to flee or destroy evidence. He is being held without bail on allegations of corruption, money laundering and criminal association, the sources said. Cerdán denied the accusation in an audience with the lead investigating judge on Monday, saying he was the victim of a political plot, they said. Sánchez has sought to distance himself and the Socialist party from the scandal, which involves suspicions of dirty dealings in the purchase of health equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic. "The Socialist party reacted firmly from the start," the prime minister said. "Santos Cerdán was dismissed" from the party when the revelations emerged, he added when questioned about the case at an international conference in Seville. A police report has said there was evidence including audio recordings suggesting Cerdán received payments in exchange for irregularly awarded public contracts. Ábalos, the prime minister's former right-hand man, and a top adviser, Koldo García, are also among the suspects targeted in the investigation. Sánchez has repeatedly apologized over the case and denied knowledge of the alleged scheme. But the opposition has called for the prime minister to resign.
