Spain's Rajoy denies slush fund in unprecedented court testimony

Record ID: 904195

  • Title: Spain's Rajoy denies slush fund in unprecedented court testimony
  • Date: 26th July 2017
  • Summary: SAN FERNANDO DE HENARES, SPAIN (JULY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF COURT AND SECURITY CAR CARRYING RAJOY LEAVING VARIOUS OF POLICE OUTSIDE COURT
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2017 12:48
  • Keywords: Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy long-running graft trial court of San Fernando de Henares Spain's High Court
  • Location: SAN FERNANDO DE HENARES, SPAIN
  • City: SAN FERNANDO DE HENARES, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA0026RCTJK7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday (July 26) denied any knowledge of an illegal financing scheme within his conservative People's Party (PP) as he became the first sitting prime minister in Spain to give evidence in a trial, prompting calls for his resignation.
    Rajoy's appearance at the corruption trial as a witness turns the spotlight back on the long-running graft scandals that have tainted his party at a delicate time as he no longer enjoys a majority in parliament. He is not accused of wrongdoing.
    Allegations of a PP slush fund have plagued the party for years and have resurfaced as part of the sprawling trial, which was originally centered on illegal dealings between small city councils and a network of businesses.
    The trial follows a long graft investigation known in Spanish as the "Gurtel" case, after the nickname of one of the supposed masterminds of a kickback scheme and businessman Francisco Correa.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register