BREAKING: 51 arrested in raids across Spain in massive anti-corruption crackdown.
Raids
across the country – including Madrid, Murcia, Leon and Valencia –
saw the arrest of Francisco Granados, former number two in Madrid’s
PP under Esperanza Aguirre, six former mayors of Madrid, and the
president of Leon province Marcos Martinez Barazon.
The sting operation targeted people allegedly involved in a
‘kickbacks scheme’ during which public officials took secret
payments for political favours.
Contracts worth roughly €250 million were awarded to businesses
involved in the scheme, according to a statement issued by Spain’s
anti-corruption prosecutor.
Money laundering, forgery, bribery and illegal negotiations by
public officials are among the crimes now being investigated.
The operation has seen more than 400 banks accounts frozen, with
260 companies being investigated.
Granados is being investigated over a Swiss bank account allegedly
containing €1.5 million.
Swiss authorities reported the account to Spain when he attempted
to withdraw all the money in the account in 2012.
Granados resigned from all his political positions over the
scandal, after initially denying the existence of the account before
later admitting he held it from 1996 to 2000.
Another of the accused – in this case for revealing secrets –
is a Guardia Civil officer, who allegedly told Francisco Granados
that he was being investigated.
Sources close to the investigation have hinted that more arrests
could yet be to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment