Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been embroiled in an ever-expanding corruption scandal. According to a report in the Guardian, Sanchez’s younger brother David is facing allegations of influence and misuse of public office in a trial that started today. The specific allegation is that in 2017, when his brother was the head of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), but not yet the Prime Minister, David Sanchez, who is a music composer, was given a job as the music coordinator for a group of public music schools in the southwestern Spanish province of Badajoz. On top of that, Sanchez’s wife, Begona Sanchez, is facing allegations that she used her influence to secure a position at Madrid’s Complutense University and to use her husband’s connections to further her own career. Sanchez’s predecessor and close ally is also facing a massive corruption scandal involving the £46 million government bailout of Plus Ultra, a Spanish airline with reported links to Venezuela. It is unclear what will happen next, but there are already several other corruption scandals involving Sanchez either directly or indirectly, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he is removed from power one way or another.
Tag: Spain
Spanish PM Sanchez to Testify in Wife’s Trial.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, was summoned by the judge in his wife’s corruption case. According to a report, Sanchez will be questioned on July 30th by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado at the Prime Minister’s official residence. At the center of the case is whether or not Sanchez’s wife used her husband’s political connections to further her business interests. According to a report in USnews Begona Gomez, Sanchez’s wife, claimed that the allegations are part of a right-wing plot to unsettle the current socialist government., It is unclear what will happen next, but if Gomez is found guilty, it could cause political instability.
Mes Que Un Corruption: the Sad Downfall of FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in world football. They are the pride of Catalonia and have supporters worldwide who follow the club religiously. In recent years Barca has assembled a collection of some of the best players in the sport, including Lionel Messi. However, they have also encountered significant financial difficulties due to overspending on the renewal of contracts of players like Messi and wasteful spending on new players. As a result, the club is saddled with €1 billion of debt.
On top of this, there have been reports of Barcelona paying money to a company run by the former vice president of the Referee’s Committee at the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). According to an article in The Athletic, Barca paid €7.8 million to DASNIL 95, a company run by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, to, in his words, “make sure no refereeing decisions were made against them, which is to say, for everything to be neutral.” While this quote may not be a smoking gun yet, it does open up the possibility that Barca was paying bribes to influence the outcome of matches which would call into question the trophies they have won in recent years. According to a BBC article, Real Madrid, Barca’s arch-rival, said they would support Spanish prosecutors in their investigations. There are most likely two reasons Real is interested in this case. First, they wouldn’t mind plunging Barca into another crisis and getting one over on the old enemy. Secondly, Real would be justifiably angry if it appeared that refereeing decisions denied them opportunities to win league titles. Barca has publicly denied any involvement. However, given recent events, I wouldn’t be surprised if Barca faces another crisis of their own making.
Crispin Corruption Report 