Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has rejected in parliament all accusations of corruption directed at members of his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). He reacted to the verdict of the Supreme Court, which on Monday sent his former close associate and ex-Minister of Transport, José Luis Abalos, to prison for 24 years for accepting bribes, AFP reported.
- The Supreme Court sentenced former minister José Luis Abalos to twenty-four years in prison.
- Pedro Sánchez rejects the existence of systemic corruption in the PSOE socialist party.
- Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, faces trial and has had her passport seized.
- The Prime Minister’s brother, David Sánchez, is accused of purposefully adjusting his job position.
- The opposition demands the resignation of the prime minister, he insists on remaining in power until the year 2027.
According to the agency, this is part of a wider wave of investigations that the Spanish authorities are conducting against relatives and former political allies of the prime minister. In Abalos’s case, the court noted the receipt of commissions for contracts for the supply of medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
No systemic corruption
In response, Sánchez denied that there was systemic corruption in his party. He pointed out that, in his opinion, some actors in politics and the media are deliberately connecting unrelated cases to create the impression of a large-scale problem, which, according to him, does not exist in the PSOE. He emphasized that he had no knowledge of the practices attributed to Abalos and, if he had known about them, he would not have accepted them.
At the same time, the prime minister denied claims that the socialists would benefit from illegal financing. He admitted that the party may make mistakes, but refused to be silent or resigned when dealing with similar cases.
The case of the wife
Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, also came under the scrutiny of the judiciary. Over the weekend, the investigating judge in her case ordered the seizure of her passport and decided to start a trial with a jury. It concerns suspects of abuse of office for personal gain.
The head of the government reacted sharply to the procedure of justice. He described the measures taken against his wife as disproportionate and, in his words, exceeding all reasonable limits of preventive interventions.
Brother and job position
At the same time, AFP reminds that the prime minister’s brother David Sánchez also faces a separate trial. In his case, there are accusations that the authorities of the province of Badajoz adapted the job position of coordinator of the state music conservatories to suit him.
These cases strengthen the opposition’s pressure on the ruling party. Opposition parties are using a series of investigations to question the credibility of the prime minister and his cabinet.
Opposition pressure
Opposition politicians are demanding Sánchez’s resignation and the calling of early elections. However, the Prime Minister refuses to make concessions and declares that he intends to rule until the end of the current election period.
According to the current rules, the regular date of the next parliamentary elections in Spain falls on August 22, 2027 at the latest. The Prime Minister thus makes it clear that, despite the growing political tension, he does not plan to change the timetable for regular voting.
