Pedro Sánchez sends a strong message from his government regarding the procedural situation of José Luis Ábalos, one step away from the accusation after the UCO report known this Thursday and which indicates him as responsible and beneficiary of the alleged corruption plot known like the Koldo affair. ‘. During a visit to Rome after his meeting with Pope Francis, the president was clear in his answers to questions from the press. “Unlike in the past, there will be no impunity. If there is corruption, whoever practices it must pay the price,” he said.
Sánchez reiterated his executive’s commitment to “democratic regeneration” since his arrival at Moncloa thanks to a motion of censure against Mariano Rajoy for Gürtel’s corruption. “As soon as there was the slightest indication of corruption, action was taken with force and determination. We asked former Minister Ábalos for the MP’s file, but he refused. And we proceeded to process a file for exclusion from the party. I therefore insist on absolute strength in the face of any allusion to corruption and absolute collaboration with the judicial system and the police, which unfortunately has not been the case in the past,” he said in reference to the PP.
Concerning the famous trip of the Venezuelan vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, which ended with a strange meeting at the Barajas airport with José Luis Ábalos and his confidants Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama (two of the alleged leaders of the plot ), the President of the Government explained that his team had simply canceled Rodríguez’s visit when he learned that it was a person sanctioned by the European Union.
“Ábalos informed me of this private visit and when we realized that there were sanctions against the vice president, this visit was canceled. Any other issues related to alleged criminal practices will have to be decided by the state security forces and agencies,” he responded to the press.
Meeting with the Pope and Cardinal Parolin
Pedro Sánchez’s appearance before the press took place just after the meeting he had this Friday with Pope Francis, with whom he had a 35-minute interview. The President of the Government explained that during his meeting with the head of the Vatican, they addressed the war situation in Ukraine and the Middle East and also discussed the policy that Spain is developing regarding the management of migrations.
After the meeting with the Pope, more focused on global issues, Sánchez and his team also met with Cardinal Parolin to address issues that bilaterally affect relations between Spain and the Catholic Church. As the president explained, during this conversation the Vatican was informed of the need to re-signify the Valley of Cuelgamuros, the ancient Valley of the Fallen, after the exhumation of the dictator Franco and in compliance with the law of democratic memory.
Pedro Sánchez also said he had expressed his “total desire to reach an agreement” on the investigation into sexual abuse committed within the Church in Spain.
