Spain’s two main political parties are facing a pivotal week in court, beginning Monday with the trial of a former right-wing interior minister accused of orchestrating an illegal spying operation against a party insider.
Jorge Fernández Díaz (main image), who served as interior minister from 2011 to 2016 under former People’s Party (PP) prime minister Mariano Rajoy, is in the dock over allegations that he oversaw a covert scheme targeting ex-party treasurer Luis Bárcenas.
The case comes just ahead of another major trial involving a senior Socialist (PSOE) figure, adding to mounting scrutiny of Spain’s political establishment.
Fernández Díaz, along with several former high-ranking interior ministry officials, is accused of using public funds and bypassing legal procedures to spy on Bárcenas and prevent him from disclosing damaging information about party finances.
Bárcenas, who held the role of treasurer until 2009, was placed in pre-trial detention in 2013 over irregularities in the PP’s accounts. At the time, he had threatened to expose alleged illegal financing within the party, claiming he felt abandoned by its leadership.
In remarks published by El Mundo newspaper on Saturday, Bárcenas said it was ‘impossible that an operation of this kind was carried out without the knowledge of the party’s highest authorities’. He did not mention Rajoy directly.
The scandal forms part of a wider series of corruption cases that ultimately led to the collapse of Rajoy’s government in 2018 and paved the way for socialist leader Pedro Sánchez to take office.
Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for Fernández Díaz on charges that include embezzlement of public funds and violations of privacy.
Proceedings are taking place at Spain’s top criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, and are expected to run for around three months. More than 100 witnesses are scheduled to testify, including Rajoy, Bárcenas and other senior PP figures from the period.
Meanwhile, attention will quickly shift to another politically sensitive case. On Tuesday, former PSOE transport minister José Luis Ábalos – once a close ally of Sánchez – will stand trial over alleged corruption linked to the procurement of face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, a case that has raised fresh questions about the stability of the minority government. ALSO READ: Spain’s former transport minister detained without bail in corruption investigation.
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Arranca en la Audiencia Nacional el juicio por la ‘operación Kitchen’. El exministro Jorge Fernández Díaz, el comisario Villarejo y otros ocho antiguos miembros de la cúpula de Interior del PP de Rajoy se sientan en el banquillo de los acusados por un presunto espionaje al… pic.twitter.com/LXGqBc2W9v
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