The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, defended this Sunday the honorability of the government in the face of the accusations brought Thursday before the judge by the businessman and mastermind of the Koldo affair Victor de Aldamawhom he described as a “suspected criminal”.
“Just tarnish names without any consequences.“, without any type of proof and simply to get dirty!”, exclaimed the minister in an angry tone, in statements to journalists after an event organized in Pamplona (Navarra).
“From the Spanish government,” said Elma Saiz, “we have had enough of the names of honorable people are stained and that absolutely nothing happens, that no one apologizes, that the accusations are made without any proof.”
After spending a month in prison, Víctor de Aldama appeared before National Court judge Ismael Moreno on Thursday and confessed to paying bribes to the former minister. Jose Luis Abalos (650,000 euros), to his advisor Koldo Garcia (250,000), to the current organizational secretary of the PSOE, Santos Cerdan (15,000 euros), and the vice-president’s chief of staff Maria Jesus Montero (25,000).
He also claimed to have met the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, on several occasions (at least once, with Begoña Gomez) to discuss a project on Empty Spain.
After hearing his testimony, and in accordance with the criteria of the anti-corruption prosecution, the judge provisionally released Aldama, give credibility to your testimony and consider that you are collaborating with Justice.
While waiting for Aldama to provide new evidence to support these accusations, the UCO of the Civil Guard is analyzing the content of the electronic devices and abundant documentation confiscated during searches ordered by the investigating judge Koldo affair.
In this regard, Minister Elma Saiz indicated this Sunday that “no credibility can be given” to Aldama’s testimony: “We are talking about a suspected criminal who, in order to escape from prison The preventive is telling lies without providing any proof. There is absolutely nothing and this will obviously be clarified,” he said in statements collected by Europa Press.
The PSOE announced on Friday a request for conciliation in which it demands that Víctor de Aldama retract his statement before the judge. The PSOE filed this complaint on behalf of Pedro SanchezBegoña Gómez, Santos Cerdán, ministers María Jesús Montero, Angel Victor Torres and the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa.
The Government is thus launching an offensive similar to that carried out against the Begoña Gómez case. Pedro Sánchez (through the Public Prosecutor’s Office) and his wife filed a complaint against the investigating judge in charge of the case, Juan Carlos Peinado, whom they accused of prevarication. The Court rejected both complaints, finding them unfounded.
In statements to the media in Pamplona, Minister Elma Saiz directly pointed the finger at the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for having used the Koldo affair to demand the resignation of President Pedro Sánchez.
“What bothers Mr. Feijóo is that the PSOE government, the Spanish government, a clean government, energetic against corruption”declared the minister, “unlike the last People’s Party government”.
