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The PP of Castilla y León hides from the first judicial predicament in the campaign

2022-01-19T04:50:50.601Z


The president of the party in Salamanca, the accused Javier Iglesias, did not go to court and refused to testify in a case for irregular financing of his party


The lawyers of the PP entering to testify for the alleged illegal financing of the PP of Salamanca, this Monday. JMGARCIA (EFE)

The journalists, the cameramen and the curious who crowded around the Court of Instruction 2 of Salamanca could wait seated. The information forecast indicated that at five in the afternoon Javier Iglesias, president of the provincial PP and charged with the alleged irregular financing of his party in 2017, would pass by to appear before the magistrate. The reality is that no politician attended. Iglesias argued that the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine had caused him such pain that he could not leave the house. The pandemic judicial protocol allows telematic declarations due to covid complications. The investigated, by videoconference, accepted his right not to intervene. This is how the PP managed to avoid the photo of a popular position by going to a court in the middle of the regional electoral pre-campaign,beyond the fact that Iglesias had not said anything in the room.

The case studies the role of training in the face of the alleged irregular financing prior to the 2017 primaries, which elevated the current president of the Board, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. The judge understands that the leadership of the party contributed more than 60,000 euros to cover debts of members and that they could vote for the then charro mayor. Of them, there are 24,000 euros "without justification", in what appears to be an "illegal anonymous donation", according to the magistrate. In addition to Iglesias, the manager, María Isabel Sánchez, and the PP itself as a legal person are accused. Iglesias appeared as a witness in a first phase of the judicial process last May, with the obligation, therefore, to tell the truth, and was cited as accused in November by the investigator of the case.

The particular accusation of this investigation, Los Verdes de Salamanca, criticizes the trickery of the conservative group to avoid social accusation. A member of this popular forum, Ángel Gamazo, is outraged: "They have set up a circus, it is the height of stridency." "I don't know if it's a trick or if the injection has hurt him so much that he can't even move, but it's so childish that it would only occur to someone who has no other resource to escape," the charro develops. In addition, he highlights that even virtually the response of Iglesias and his representatives has consisted of silence, something that he considers suspicious and contrary to the fact that both Mañueco and other members of his ranks have recently ensured the full "collaboration" of the PP with justice. This same Monday the general secretary of the party in Castilla y León,Francisco Vázquez had to apologize for some "unfortunate statements" in which he claimed that the Prosecutor's Office, in this case of possible irregular financing, was "following instructions from the Government."

Gamazo states that Iglesias relied on the fact that the PP has appealed the imputation of these charges and that, therefore, they were not going to speak until there is a resolution. The judge warned him, according to the representative of Los Verdes, that "not responding can be negative." Gamazo, who in conversation with EL PAÍS before the scheduled appearance already feared some maneuver by Iglesias, stresses that Mañueco's party "wants to avoid appearances in the electoral process at all costs", with elections called for February 13 after breaking the PP with its partner, Citizens. "They did not want the drink of the image leaving the court", ditch. This same Tuesday Iglesias, also president of the Diputación, has received without problem the new bishop of Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo.

One of the people from the Salamanca PP who admitted before the judge to have paid 500 euros out of his pocket to cover the debts of the members explains that "they are trying to kick forward, it is normal that they do it in the campaign". This source recalls that Javier Iglesias brought together several people from the party to tell them "Alfonso has to be president and we have to support him", hence those present all contributed the same amount and that the magistrate has observed these alleged irregularities along with the 24,000 euros of unjustified origin.

The former vice president, Francisco Igea (Cs), was the first regional leader to go to those Salamanca courts to put pressure on his government partner. The candidate and now rival of Mañueco assured on Sunday that he spoke personally with Iglesias to tell him that if he was charged, as was finally the case, he would be dismissed. The answer, according to Igea, cleared responsibilities towards high instances close to the leader of the Board: "Paco, you know that I did what I did because who asked me to."

Mañueco was interviewed this Monday on the autonomous television of Castilla y León and responded vaguely and inaccurately to questions about this process without going into the substance of the matter.

The president maintained that "30 months have passed" since this investigation began on the economic management of those primaries, although the duration of the phases of investigation does not imply anything in a judicial case.

The president also stated that his acronym partner had already intervened as a witness, but did not take into account that the instructor can analyze the requested files and consider the other appearances to change the status of a witness and call him to testify as investigated if he deems it necessary. .

Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-01-19

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