An unemployment rate of 26 per cent (and 56 per cent for young people); an economy that contracted by 0.7 per cent last quarter; tumbling approval ratings. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had enough problems, even before claims that he received about €280,000 (£240,000) in payments from ‘secret’ accounts managed by the treasurers of his People’s Party (the PP). Protestors took to the streets of Madrid last night calling for his resignation.
El País (Spain’s biggest newspaper) published hand-written accounts that it claims were kept by PP treasurers Luis Bárcenas and Álvaro Lapuerta between 1990 and 2009. They show donations to the party from businesses (mostly in the construction sector) and regular payments to various party leaders, on top of their normal salaries. According to the paper, Rajoy received €25,200 (£22,000) a year for 11 years from 1997 to 2008. Other alleged beneficiaries include Rodrigo Rato, who served as Spain’s finance minister from 1996 to 2004 and Managing Director of the IMF from 2004 to 2007; and María Dolores Cospedal, current Secretary General of the PP.
This is the latest chapter in an ongoing corruption scandal surrounding the PP’s accounting.
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