The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, denounced a “campaign of harassment and demolition” against his environment fueled, according to him, by the right-wing opposition, after the opening of an investigation into his brother. As already happened with the investigation opened for alleged corruption and influence peddling against his wife, Begoña Gómez, the investigation against his brother was opened after a complaint from the far-right organization “Clean Hands.”
“Mud machine”
Sánchez assured, in an interview on public television, that he is going to “defend the honorability” of his wife and brother “in the face of a campaign of harassment and demolition by a far-right organization.” The socialist leader accused the “conservative and ultra-conservative digital tabloids” of amplifying this case, as well as the right-wing and far-right opposition, which “has nothing more” against him. He defined these groups as those responsible for a “mud machine” that spreads “misinformation and defamation.”
A Spanish court announced on Monday the opening of investigation proceedings for the alleged crimes of embezzlement, prevarication or influence peddling against, among others, Sánchez’s brother, who is responsible for the Performing Arts office of the Badajoz Provincial Council, directed by a socialist. According to the local press, Clean Hands denounced David Sánchez for allegedly receiving a public salary without going to work properly.
Citing a news article published by a media outlet, the same modus operandi used by Clean Hands to denounce Begoña Gómez, the self-proclaimed union member warned that David Sánchez “does not attend his job at the Provincial Council, except on rare occasions,” despite the fact that “it is not authorized to provide its services under a teleworking regime.”
Based on other journalistic reports, the far-right organization indicated that Sánchez has his residence in Elvas, Portugal, where, according to the complaint, the businessman Víctor de Aldama, investigated in a present plot for the purchase of masks, owns commercial companies. . The spokesperson for the Spanish government, Pilar Alegría, rejected the new complaint from Clean Hands, “which is the same as saying that once again we are facing a false complaint, constructed through clippings and snippets from digital tabloids.”
“The right creates caves and people enter”
After learning in April of the opening of the investigation against his wife, Pedro Sanchez He surprised the Spanish by announcing that he was considering resigning, although he ultimately chose to remain in his position, promising to work for “the pending regeneration” of Spanish democracy. This Wednesday he announced that in July will launch a package of measures to defend not only “information plurality”, but also its “veracity”.
Sánchez proposed vetoing public procurement of companies that collaborate with the “mud machine” and increasing the fines for “persecuting, defaming and lying” from 14,000 to 150,000 euros ($162,000). However, he stressed that the priority must be to deploy policies to “improve people’s living conditions” because “when the left does not create better living conditions and places, the right creates caves and people enter.”
In addition to announcing that there will be a package of “regeneration measures” before September, Sánchez highlighted the “strategic collaboration” that he maintained with parties such as Sumar or ERC (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) in the last six years, to approve measures in the economic and social sphere. In that sense, the first vice president of the government and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, explained in the halls of Congress that the democratic regeneration plan will cover “different aspects of political life.”
Sánchez also issued an ultimatum to the right-wing opposition to reach an agreement before the end of the month on the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), a key body in charge of appointing judges, whose renewal has been blocked for six years. “If in the month of June the Popular Party,” the main opposition party, “does not unblock this situation, the government of Spain, together with the Congress of Deputies, will provide a response to what is a true constitutional outrage,” he assured. he.
Consulted by Spanish public television, Sanchez He said that “he is not aware” that President Javier Milei plans to make a new visit to Spain next week. The question arose after spokesman Manuel Adorni confirmed this Tuesday that he plans to travel to Spain on June 21 to receive an award. “Ideological affinities are free in governments, but respect is obligatory”defended the president of the Spanish government, to highlight that Milei’s “far-right government” eliminated the Ministry of Women and all the country’s feminist policies.
