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Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Prostitutes, a porn star and a bouncer - Spanish PM Sanchez embroiled in corruption scandal
Spain's Teflon Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez swept to power seven years ago, vowing to clean up Spanish politics. Now his Socialist party (PSOE) is engulfed in a corruption scandal involving prostitutes, public contracts, kickbacks, secret recordings, a former nightclub bouncer and a porn star. His wife faces a separate investigation into allegations of influence-peddling, and there are claims that party officials created a job especially for his musician brother David. Mr Sánchez's enemies call him the 'dog' because they say he is impossible to get rid of, but the graft scandal is now threatening to finally bring him down. Europe's most influential Left-wing leader is well aware of the risks, and the irony, of his invidious position. Mr Sánchez ousted his scandal-hit conservative predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, by winning a vote of no confidence against him in 2018. Spain's National Court had ruled that Mr Rajoy's Partido Popular (PP) was guilty of 'institutional corruption'. Mr Sánchez promised a new era of 'democratic regeneration' as he cobbled together a coalition of communists, separatists and former terrorist organisation Eta's political wing to grab power. His grip on Spain's government has not slipped in the years since, despite the recent massive blackouts, deadly floods in Valencia, or the allegations about his family. His taste for woke politics has enraged the Spanish Right and he has clashed with Donald Trump and refused to commit to a new Nato defence spending target. Such controversies bounce off the bulletproof prime minister thanks to the deeply polarised world of Spanish politics. None of the rag-tag bunch of Leftists propping up his government want to be the one to break ranks for fear of handing power to a coalition of the PP and the far-Right Vox. But the pressure is building on the handsome Madrileño after weeks in which his Socialist party has been roiled by seedy revelation after grubby exposé. It is the involvement of sex workers and porn stars that has particularly appalled his woke allies, who so far, have stopped short of collapsing the government. But Yolanda Díaz, the deputy prime minister and leader of far-Left Sumar, and her ministers pointedly left their front-bench seats in Congress empty when Mr Sanchez fought for his political life, trading blows with opposition leaders on Wednesday. It was a sign that the pressure was beginning to tell after months of the spotlight shining on PSOE party cadres and some of Mr Sánchez's closest comrades. Santos Cerdán, a long-time close ally of Mr Sánchez resigned as party secretary last week. A police report revealed his alleged involvement in charging companies for accessing public works contracts in his home region of Navarre and elsewhere. Mr Sánchez was humiliatingly forced to apologise for being 'mistaken' about Mr Cerdán. He had backed him, despite a flurry of rumours after criminal investigations were opened last year into his Navarran associate, Koldo García. Mr Garcia is a former nightclub bouncer and chauffeur who worked his way up the Socialist party ladder and became a key aide to José Luis Ábalos. Mr Ábalos, along with Mr Cerdán, backed Mr Sánchez from party outsider to winner in two primary processes a decade ago, playing a key role in his ascent to power. He is suspected by a supreme court judge of helping himself to hundreds of thousands of euros in kickbacks from companies during his spell as transport and infrastructure minister between 2018 and 2021. Ábalos was also Socialist party secretary until Mr Sánchez dropped him from the post and the cabinet in 2021. The prime minister insisted on Wednesday that the Cerdán crisis was a mere 'anecdote'. But secret recordings underpinning the investigation make painful listening because of his old comrades discussing and comparing the merits of sex workers. Mr Sánchez made the fight against sexism in macho Spain a touchstone of his government, and the tapes are a major embarrassment for a politician with a sweeping feminist agenda. 'This disgusts us. The sexist terms expressed are absolutely incompatible with the feminist values of this party,' Mr Sánchez said. A source close to the government told The Telegraph that Mr Sánchez's decision to suddenly drop Mr Ábalos before the corruption probes began was 'due to his proclivity for prostitutes'. One morning in early June, Mr Ábalos's home in Valencia was searched by police. They found the former minister in the company of a woman named only as Anaís, a 32-year-old model. She was later revealed by the newspaper El Mundo to be a porn star using the name Letizia Hilton. According to reports, Mr Ábalos made a failed attempt to sneak a hard drive out of the house under the noses of police investigators by hiding it in his female companion's pocket when officers allowed her out to walk the dog. Police investigation Mr García, commonly referred to by all as simply 'Koldo', is reported to have recorded and filed all of his conversations over more than a decade of running errands for top Socialists. Police are examining the contents of four memory sticks full of recordings and have reportedly recovered others he attempted to erase but which were recovered from the cloud. In one, he says: 'I'm fed up. They treat me like a stupid small-town boy: I'm very coarse, I'm capable of breaking a guy's legs just because they ask me to (…) But with time, you learn.' Who has recorded whom saying what has become key in the case, and there is paranoia among Socialist ranks as to what files kept by Mr Ábalos and his sidekick Mr García could contain. Sources with access to the police investigation have told The Telegraph that police reports are being compiled on at least one other minister over their Ábalos connection. Mr Sánchez has insisted that the Socialist party is not corrupt and has ordered a fresh external audit of the party's finances. A PP source told The Telegraph that leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo is now sure that 'it is just a matter of time' before Mr Sánchez falls. That will depend on the next batch of leaked recordings and whether a strong connection can be built by investigators between Mr Cerdán's side deals and party financing. Mr Sanchez's rivals are hoping to do to what he did to Mariano Rajoy seven years ago. Mr Feijóo accused Mr Sánchez of being 'deeply ensnared in a corruption scheme' during their fiery clash in the Spanish parliament. 'No matter how much you disguise yourself, you are not the victim. We Spaniards are the victim,' Mr Feijóo told Mr Sánchez, before mocking his refusal to call early elections 'because you know you will lose'.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Renewable energy to blame for Spain's blackouts, official investigation finds
Spain's disastrous national blackout was triggered by solar farms switching off in response to plummeting power prices, an official investigation has found. A government report into Europe's biggest power cut found that Spain's solar farms were generating so much power on April 28, a particularly sunny day, that prices became 'negative' – meaning there were no profits to be made in operating them. Plunging prices triggered a mass switch-off, which sent voltage and frequency fluctuations cascading across the national grids of both Spain and Portugal. Back-up systems meant to guard against such fluctuations were not in effect. This caused blackouts that left more than 60m people across the Iberian peninsula without power, the Spanish government report concluded. The power cut caused massive gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded on trains and in elevators across the Iberian peninsula. Several deaths were also linked to the incident. Experts said in the immediate aftermath of the power cut that a reliance on net zero energy had left Spain and Portugal vulnerable to the blackouts because of the way renewable power is generated. However, Spain's Left-wing government has repeatedly insisted that green energy was not to blame. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People's Party (PP), said ministers were 'so intent on being the greenest in the world that you have led Spaniards into the dark ', the BBC reported. The investigation's findings will fuel concerns about Britain's race to net zero, led by Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary. Mr Miliband wants to make Britain's energy system carbon free by 2030, a shift that will see the country rely almost entirely on renewable energy, such as wind, solar and nuclear to keep the lights on. Critics say more time is needed to ensure the grid is resilient and prepared for the huge shift. The Spanish report, made public on Tuesday, described how the power cut, which occurred shortly after midday, had been preceded by unusual voltage fluctuations across the Spanish grid from roughly 10am onwards. Those fluctuations correlated with abrupt reductions in solar generation which were probably driven by solar farms switching off as wholesale power prices fell. This coincided with other wider changes such as an abrupt drop in the amount of power being exported to France. While the solar switch-off appears to be the immediate trigger for the blackouts, investigators blamed the country's grid operator Redeia for failing to calculate the correct mix of energy generation needed to prevent a blackout. Redeia disputed that finding, saying voltages had always been within set limits. Investigators also attributed a portion of blame to power plant operators. Some had been paid to keep nuclear and gas-fired power stations in operation to stabilise the system but had turned down those plants too in order to save money. Sara Aagesen, Spain's energy minister, said power plants 'should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected.' Redeia rejected any blame and said it was the fault of power plants. Concha Sanchez, operations chief, told a news briefing: 'Had conventional power plants done their job in controlling the voltage there would have been no blackout.' Beatriz Corredor, the company's chairman, said Redeia will release its own full report on the causes of the outage.
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Catalan amnesty expected to get court blessing amid political turmoil
On Tuesday Spain 's constitutional court will start debating the legality of an amnesty law, the country's most divisive piece of legislation of recent decades. The ruling is expected to settle a fierce public argument over the law's technical soundness, although it is unlikely to calm political tensions surrounding it. The amnesty law of 2024 sought to withdraw pending legal action against Catalan political leaders who had made a failed secession attempt from Spain in 2017, as well as hundreds of activists who had supported the same cause. The most high-profile intended beneficiary was former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont , who has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium. The law secured for the Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez the support of Catalan nationalists to keep his left-wing coalition government afloat. He points to the improved political climate in Catalonia, where independence is no longer a live issue, as proof that the policy of engagement has paid dividends. However, the law has also been at the heart of attacks on Sánchez by the opposition, which has cast it as a legally unsound, cynical ploy by the prime minister to stay in power. READ MORE The constitutional court will now consider an appeal lodged against the law by the opposition conservative People's Party (PP). The stridently unionist PP alleged that the legislation breached the constitution by being an arbitrary measure that was the result of a dubious political transaction. The tribunal's ruling is expected later this month, although leaks from a preliminary report it has published in advance of the debate strongly suggest it will reject such objections and broadly endorse the law, while introducing some minor changes. 'The interpretation [of the law] made by the People's Party is incompatible with a constitution that is open, inherent to the democratic state and political pluralism,' reads the leaked document. It adds that the legislature 'can do anything that is not explicitly prohibited by the constitution', which is the case with the amnesty. The report also dismisses the PP's claim that the political backdrop to the legislation undermined its legitimacy. Oriol Junqueras, leader of the Catalan Republican Left, remains barred from public office as he waits to be amnestied. Photograph: Josep Lago/AFP Oriol Junqueras, leader of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), who remains barred from public office as he waits to be amnestied, described the development as 'another step along a path that is always too long'. He spent three years and eight months in jail for his part in the events of 2017, before being released on a government pardon. The government has also cautiously welcomed this news. Digital transformation minister Óscar López said the administration has always known the amnesty was constitutional and that it 'has helped to normalise political life in Catalonia'. Culture minister Ernest Urtasun went further, describing the leaked report as 'good news which reaffirms the government's policy in the face of the judicialisation of [the Catalan] conflict and debunks the lies of the right and the PP'. Since its approval almost a year ago, 178 Catalans have been amnestied on the case-by-case basis outlined by the law, according to a study commissioned by the civic organisation Omnium Cultural. Another 49 pending cases have been dismissed and nine defendants absolved. Many of those facing legal action were civil servants who had helped the Catalan regional government stage an illegal independence referendum in October 2017. However, the same report also found that 158 amnesty requests had been rejected, indefinitely postponed, or simply had not been answered. Pedro Sanchez and his wife Begona Gomez: opponents say the amnesty law is a cynical ploy by the prime minister to stay in power. Photograph: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images But while the strict legality of the amnesty appears likely to be confirmed in the upcoming ruling, the opposition's fierce response to the leaked court document suggests that its political combustibility is undimmed. 'Now they want to convince us that buying a government with privileges is legal,' said PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo. 'I say it's not. It's not ethical, moral or legal.' His party's spokesman, Borja Semper, suggested that the legal question was irrelevant. 'Constitutional or unconstitutional, it's political corruption,' he said. With the legality of the law appearing to be settled, the opposition is now placing more emphasis on its morality. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, the controversial chief adviser to the PP's president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, appeared to equate the amnesty with slavery, female genital mutilation, polygamy and paedophilia, 'because they are not expressly prohibited by the constitution'. News of the constitutional court's anticipated ruling has been well timed for the government, which is being corralled by an array of corruption allegations. Investigations have been carried out into the wife and brother of Sánchez for alleged irregularities, although the government insists these are part of a right-wing witch hunt. However, another inquiry, into a kickback scheme in which a former minister, José Luis Ábalos, is implicated, is more damaging. So too is a scandal in which a Socialist Party activist, Leire Díez, was apparently caught on tape trying to gather evidence that would discredit the civil guard's organised crime unit, which has been investigating the above cases. A favourable ruling could also be helpful to the government for parliamentary reasons. Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia (JxCat) party has seven members of congress whose support is crucial for the stability of the Sánchez government. The relationship between the two has been turbulent since the formation of a new administration in late 2023, with the amnesty law a key part of their deal. Lola García, a political columnist at La Vanguardia newspaper, noted that 'if the Constitutional Court definitively supports the law in its ruling, the amnesty will be a political fact which will reinforce the [government's] relationship with JxCat and could open the door to a meeting between Pedro Sánchez and Puigdemont'. However, even if the constitutional court does endorse the amnesty law, its full application is likely to remain pending. That is because the supreme court previously ruled that several politicians, including Puigdemont and Junqueras, had benefited financially from the independence drive, disqualifying them from being amnestied. The constitutional court did not specifically tackle that issue in its preliminary report and it is not known if it will do so in its final ruling. The conflicting positions of the two top tribunals appear to reflect the political allegiances of their magistrates, with the PP controlling the supreme court and the constitutional court under the Socialist Party's influence. Commentator Ignacio Varela, writing about the left-leaning balance of the constitutional court, said it is 'the colour of the shirt' of the magistrates that decides their vote, rather than technical considerations. 'Polarisation has reached [the court's] headquarters and the militant vote is embedded there,' he said. Carles Puigdemont campaigns from his base on the French border with Spain. Photograph: Guy Hedgecoe Puigdemont's lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, criticised the supreme court for the same reason, albeit from the opposite point of view. 'The supreme court is in a position of rebellion which is incompatible with a democratic system,' he told The Irish Times. 'The judges in the top courts are tremendously ideologically skewed and refuse to apply laws which, ideologically speaking, they do not agree with.' Boye said that Puigdemont's plans are still uncertain, with his potential return to Spain depending on judicial developments. They include appeals against Puigdemont and others being excluded from the amnesty. Last summer the former Catalan president made a dramatic public appearance in Barcelona before being whisked away again across the border to escape arrest. Several members of the Mossos d'Esquadra Catalan police force have been investigated for their possible role in the stunt.
CNA
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Tens of thousands join anti-government protest in Madrid
MADRID: Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday (Jun 8) in an opposition-organised demonstration in Madrid accusing the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption. Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of the Spanish capital, and chanted "Pedro Sanchez, resign!". "The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring," Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag drapped over her back, told AFP at the demonstration. The Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother and his former right-hand man. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's Socialist party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of "mafia practices" over the affair, and said Sanchez is "at the centre" of multiple corruption scandals. "This government has stained everything, politics, state institutions, the separation of powers," he told the rally, going on to urge Sanchez to call early elections. The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan "Mafia or Democracy." The central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout between 45,000 and 50,000. 'Go away' The government's spokeswoman, Pilar Alegria, mocked the turnout, writing on X that veteran Spanish rock duo Estopa drew a larger crowd to their recent concert at Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium than "the apocalyptic Feijoo at the Plaza de Espana." Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a "smear campaign" carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. He came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandals affecting involving the conservative party. Rafael Redondo, a 73-year-old real estate agent, said the corruption cases that have affected the PP were "completely different". "The corruption that may have existed in the PP involved individuals acting on their own. But the Socialist Party is a criminal organisation which has committed crimes from A to Z," he told AFP at the rally. Maria del Mar Tome, a 59-year-old businesswoman, said she had turned up because "we want Pedro Sanchez to go away once and for all, because this man is corrupt, he's a liar." Poll lead This is the sixth protest which the PP has organised against the government since Feijoo took the helm of the party in April 2022 The demonstration comes as the PP is gearing up for an extraordinary party congress set for July. Originally set for 2026, Feijoo moved the event forward, citing the need for the party to "be prepared" in case of early national elections in what was seen as an effort to consolidate his power. Rajoy and another former PP prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, attended Sunday's rally, along with several heads of regional governments. Recent polls show the PP holding only a slim lead over the Socialists, although Sanchez remains the most highly rated party leader among voters. One in four voters, 24.6 percent, said Sanchez is their favourite party leader to lead the country, ahead of the leader of far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal, who was picked by 17.1 percent, according to a poll published Monday in daily newspaper El Pais. Feijoo was the third most popular option, with 16.6 percent. The next general election is expected in 2027.
Washington Post
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Spanish opposition party rallies tens of thousands of protesters in Madrid
MADRID — Spain's opposition party staged a protest in Madrid that drew tens of thousands of attendees on Sunday, calling for the resignation of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and demanding new elections. The Popular Party organized the rally with the slogan 'Mafia or democracy,' in response to alleged corruption scandals involving Sanchez's political allies and family.
