https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The trial of a key figure in an illegal funding scandal involving Spain's rightwing Popular Party opened Monday with the defendant pledging a full confession directly implicating the former premier. https://www.thelocal.es/20210208/slush-fund-trial-opens-in-madrid-putting-spotlight-on-spains-rightwing-popular-party Mon, 08 Feb 2021 17:33:20 +0100 slush-fund-trial-opens-in-madrid-putting-spotlight-on-spains-rightwing-popular-party A court in Spain on Wednesday acquitted the country's main opposition conservative Popular party (PP) of destroying computer hard drives that allegedly had incriminating information on a corruption case. https://www.thelocal.es/20190905/partido-popular-spanish-conservative-party-acquitted-of-destroying-evidence Thu, 05 Sep 2019 15:04:55 +0200 partido-popular-spanish-conservative-party-acquitted-of-destroying-evidence The former treasurer of Spain's ruling Popular Party (PP) was sent straight to jail Monday pending a possible appeal against his 33-year prison sentence in a graft trial that has sparked a no-confidence vote against the prime minister. https://www.thelocal.es/20180529/barcenas-sent-directly-to-jail-after-graft-sentence Tue, 29 May 2018 12:46:18 +0200 barcenas-sent-directly-to-jail-after-graft-sentence Spain's ruling Popular Party (PP) will stand trial for allegedly destroying laptops used by a former treasurer being tried over a suspected slush fund, a court ruling published on Friday said. It will be the first time that a political party goes on trial in the country. https://www.thelocal.es/20171202/spains-graft-plagued-ruling-party-on-trial-for-destroying-evidence Sat, 02 Dec 2017 05:21:02 +0100 spains-graft-plagued-ruling-party-on-trial-for-destroying-evidence Luis Barcenas, a former conservative party treasurer at the centre of a far-reaching graft scandal has been accused of attacking a man in the street. https://www.thelocal.es/20160627/barcenas-most-hated-man-in-spain-reported-for-punch-up-over-insults Mon, 27 Jun 2016 17:11:46 +0200 barcenas-most-hated-man-in-spain-reported-for-punch-up-over-insults An unusual film based entirely on testimony by a former treasurer of Spain's ruling party who admitted running a slush fund has opened in cinemas ahead of a year-end general election. https://www.thelocal.es/20151022/spanish-ruling-party-slush-fund-scandal-hits-the-silver-screen Thu, 22 Oct 2015 11:02:32 +0200 spanish-ruling-party-slush-fund-scandal-hits-the-silver-screen A Spanish satirical comic is enjoying record breaking sales this week, thanks to its latest cover star - a cartoon version of Luis Bárcenas, the man at the centre of a corruption scandal. https://www.thelocal.es/20150410/corrupt-spanish-politicians-new-role-as-a-cartoon Fri, 10 Apr 2015 15:38:18 +0200 corrupt-spanish-politicians-new-role-as-a-cartoon A court probe has found that Spain's ruling Popular Party ran an illegal slush fund for 18 years, a judge said on Monday, reviving a corruption scandal that has embarrassed the government. https://www.thelocal.es/20150323/spain-ruling-party-ran-illegal-slush-fund-judge Mon, 23 Mar 2015 18:00:02 +0100 spain-ruling-party-ran-illegal-slush-fund-judge Luis Barcenas, the disgraced former treasurer of Spain´s ruling party, could be heading for the snowy slopes of the Pyrenees for a spot of skiing while he awaits trial. https://www.thelocal.es/20150219/barcenas-latest-hes-off-on-a-ski-holiday Thu, 19 Feb 2015 18:39:00 +0100 barcenas-latest-hes-off-on-a-ski-holiday The disgraced former treasurer of Spain’s ruling Popular Party, recently released on a €200,000 bail, has asked the judge overseeing his corruption case if he can take a 14-day holiday. https://www.thelocal.es/20150213/brcenas-requests-two-week-holiday Fri, 13 Feb 2015 10:18:00 +0100 brcenas-requests-two-week-holiday An ex-official of Spain's governing party reignited a corruption scandal on Friday, months ahead of a general election, by alleging Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy knowingly tolerated irregular payments to politicians. https://www.thelocal.es/20150123/rajoy Fri, 23 Jan 2015 22:00:12 +0100 rajoy The unrepentant ex-treasurer of Spain's ruling party was released from prison late Thursday after posting bail pending his corruption trial, throwing the spotlight back on a scandal that has embarrassed the government months before a general election. https://www.thelocal.es/20150123/ex-ruling-party-bigwig-bailed-in-graft-probe Fri, 23 Jan 2015 10:20:44 +0100 ex-ruling-party-bigwig-bailed-in-graft-probe Spain's top judge said on Tuesday the penal country's system isn't up to dealing with the complex corruption cases it faces and urged the new justice minister to roll out radical reforms aimed at greater efficiency. https://www.thelocal.es/20141022/spains-justice-system-only-fit-for-chicken-thieves-corruption Wed, 22 Oct 2014 13:20:00 +0200 spains-justice-system-only-fit-for-chicken-thieves-corruption An eccentric millionaire has chosen Madrid as the latest location for his philanthropic Hidden Cash initiative, hiding banknotes in envelopes in the city's Retiro park on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.es/20140703/madrid-park-sees-cash-in-envelope-hunt-announced-on-twitter Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:55:00 +0200 madrid-park-sees-cash-in-envelope-hunt-announced-on-twitter Spanish judges on Thursday jailed a man for 18 years for disguising himself as a priest and holding hostage at gunpoint relatives of an ex-politician disgraced in a top-level corruption scandal. https://www.thelocal.es/20140425/spain-jails-kidnapper-who-posed-as-priest-madrid-barcenas Fri, 25 Apr 2014 11:33:00 +0200 spain-jails-kidnapper-who-posed-as-priest-madrid-barcenas Spanish politicians and legal experts are set to thrash out ways to fight corruption in Parliament on Wednesday, just days after 15 new people were called in for questioning over their involvement in a massive fraud case in the country's south. https://www.thelocal.es/20140422/spain-corruption-barcenas-politics-experts Tue, 22 Apr 2014 12:21:00 +0200 spain-corruption-barcenas-politics-experts The former treasurer of Spain's ruling Popular Party won't be allowed to walk the prison courtyard for nearly five months after directing insults at Civil Guard police officers and refusing to be handcuffed. https://www.thelocal.es/20140416/spain-barcenas-treasurer-violent-prison Wed, 16 Apr 2014 13:02:00 +0200 spain-barcenas-treasurer-violent-prison Spanish police investigating one of the country's biggest ever corruption scandals have released a list of 'gifts' including plasma TVs, Cuban cigars and Mont Blanc pens allegedly given to top Popular Party officials to curry favour in return for public contracts. https://www.thelocal.es/20140204/police-list-pp-scandal-bribe-bonanza Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:08:00 +0100 police-list-pp-scandal-bribe-bonanza Spain's Socialist Party has accused the government of pressuring United States channel Bloomberg TV to edit an interview in which Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said, "There are things that can’t be proven" about allegations of illegal financing. https://www.thelocal.es/20130927/government-gag-attempt-on-us-tv-slammed-by-critics Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:50:00 +0200 government-gag-attempt-on-us-tv-slammed-by-critics Two personal computers used by the Popular Party's former treasurer Luis Bárcenas had their data wiped off before a judge could study the contents in a corruption case involving illegal party financing. https://www.thelocal.es/20130830/spains-government-destroys-corruption-case-hard-drives Fri, 30 Aug 2013 14:55:00 +0200 spains-government-destroys-corruption-case-hard-drives