Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defends his government against corruption allegations in Senate hearing over Covid contracts scandal
MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will face a Senate committee grilling over a corruption scandal threatening his minority left-wing government.
The hearing focuses on alleged kickbacks for public contracts of sanitary equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sanchez took office in 2018 pledging to clean up Spanish politics after the conservative opposition’s own graft scandal.
Former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos and ex-Socialist official Santos Cerdan are both implicated in the corruption probe.
Cerdan remains jailed while police have raided Socialist headquarters in damaging images for Sanchez.
The opposition Popular Party aims to prove Sanchez knew about or participated in the alleged corruption manoeuvres.
PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo accused Sanchez of planning to lie during the Senate hearing.
Sanchez has repeatedly apologised for the scandal but denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.
A damning police report implicating Cerdan briefly threatened the Socialist coalition with far-left Sumar party.
The prime minister has rebuffed opposition calls to resign and call early elections despite pressure.
Sanchez unveiled anti-corruption measures in July to repair ties with coalition partners.
Separate corruption investigations target Sanchez’s wife Begona Gomez and his younger brother David Sanchez.
The Socialist-appointed top prosecutor will face trial next week for leaking legal secrets. – AFP
