Pedro Sánchez today dismissed claims that he was aware of an alleged scheme aimed at undermining investigations related to corruption cases within the Socialist Party of Spain, which he leads. The Spanish Prime Minister said he was disappointed and outraged by the case. Last week, a Supreme Court judge ordered the seizure of various documents and electronic files from the party’s headquarters as part of an investigation focusing on Sánchez’s former associate Santos Cerdán – former organizational secretary of the Socialists – as well as other party officials, lawyers, a businessman and a police officer.
They are alleged to have tried to influence administrative decisions and undermine any legal proceedings or police action that would work against the Socialist Party or the government. Cerdán denied doing anything improper.
Sánchez: “I never gave my approval, nor did I ever have any information”
“I never gave my approval, nor did I ever have any information or knowledge of anything I would never have tolerated,” Sánchez said on the sidelines of the European Union Western Balkans summit taking place in Montenegro. He said his government is “clean” and his party’s legal team is analyzing all court documents connected to the case. “My party has integrity and corruption involves only a few individuals,” Sánchez said.
The Prime Minister, who came to power eight years ago by removing a corruption-mired center-right government with promises to ‘clean up’ politics, is under fire even from his allies over a slew of corruption cases making their way to court. Sánchez himself has not been named in any of the cases and has said they are part of a campaign aimed at removing him from office.
