Spanish PM Sanchez contemplating resignation after spouse’s graft probe | EUROtoday

Issued on: 24/04/2024 – 20:40

1 min

“I need to stop and think” so as to resolve “whether I should continue to head the government or whether I should give up this honour,” he wrote in a letter posted on X, previously Twitter, including he would announce his choice on Monday and droop his schedule till then.

A Madrid court docket stated earlier on Wednesday that it had “opened an investigation into Begona Gomez for the alleged offence of influence peddling and corruption” in response to a criticism by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), an anti-corruption stress group whose chief is linked to the far proper.

The temporary court docket assertion got here a number of hours after on-line information website El Confidencial stated investigators had been probing Gomez’s ties to a number of personal firms that acquired authorities funding or gained public contracts.

The website stated the probe was linked to the alleged ties which Gomez – who doesn’t maintain public workplace and maintains a low profile – had with Spanish tourism group Globalia, which owns Air Europa.

It stated she had twice met with Javier Hidalgo, Globalia’s CEO on the time, when the provider was in talks with the federal government to safe an enormous bailout after it was badly hit by the plunge in air visitors as a result of Covid-19 disaster.

Socialist premier Sanchez stated in his letter that the criticism was primarily based on “non-existent” details and was a part of a marketing campaign of “harassment” towards his spouse led by “ultraconservative” media and supported by the conservative and far-right opposition.

“I am not naive. I am aware that they are bringing charges against Begona, not because she’s done anything illegal, because they know full well that’s not true, but because she’s my wife,” he added.

(AFP)