The corruption scandal in Spain is expanding. A close prime minister of Sanchez was arrested in preventive
Santos Cerdan, former number 3 in the Spanish Socialist Party Photo: Jesãºs Hellãn / Zuma Press / Profimedia
Former Three number of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), Santos Cerdan, a close relative of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, was preventively arrested on Monday at a corruption investigation in which he is also involved another close collaborator of the Government, reports AFP, taken by Agerpres.
“The judge of the Supreme Court placed in preventive arrest and without bail on the former organizational secretary of PSOE, Santos Cerdan, for association in order to commit crimes, corruption and money laundering,” said judicial sources, adding that, according to the magistrate, in the absence of the preventive arrest there is a “risk of escape and”.
Santos Cerdan appeared on Monday in front of the judge in charge of this investigation and denied any illegal deed, claiming that he is the victim of political maneuvers, according to the same sources.
A police report revealed in mid -June refers to “indications”, including audio recordings, which suggests that Santos Cerdan would have received “commissions in exchange for illegal award of public procurement contracts”.
Other officials concerned by this investigation include former Minister of Transport, Jose Luis Abalos, who was a close collaborator of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as well as a counselor of the same minister, Koldo Garcia.
“The Socialist Party acted firmly from the beginning,” said Prime Minister Sanchez on Monday, recalling that Santos Cerdan “was removed from PSOE” after the disclosures regarding the alleged criminal acts. Santos Cerdan had announced on June 12, the day of the appearance of those disclosures, that he resigned from the party and from the Parliament.
At the same time, Pedro Sanchez assured that he did not know “absolutely nothing” about this corruption file and rejected the possibility to resign and convene early elections following this scandal, elections required by the right -wing opposition, which in 2018 lost the Government leadership in favor of the Socialists following a corruption scandal.
The file revealed this month and affecting the Socialist Government is a new chapter from a large investigation that has been on several months on alleged corruption in the purchase of medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
