The attempts of the PP to corner the socialists with the commission investigating the Koldo case in the Senate have not been successful so far. The Popular Party recognizes this privately, after bringing Koldo García and his two political supporters, former minister José Luis Ábalos and the PSOE’s organizational secretary Santos Cerdán, to the Upper House. The strategy of implicating the wife of the Prime Minister in corrupt practices has also not progressed much, as the Guardia Civil sent a report to the court dismissing any wrongdoing by Begoña Gómez. However, Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s team has not given up. They have now requested the appearance of Pedro Sánchez, María Jesús Montero, and former Economy Minister Nadia Calviño in the Senate commission.
Feijóo had been considering the threat to summon Sanchez before the investigating committee controlled by the Popular Party for weeks. The PP has finally taken this step, citing the president’s failure to answer questions about Begoña Gómez’s activities in the previous week’s appearance in Congress. During that session, Sánchez defended his wife’s professional qualifications and stated he would gladly answer the senators’ questions. Despite Feijóo’s insistent probing, Sánchez did not go into detail regarding Gómez’s actions in relation to public tenders. The session highlighted the PP’s determination to hammer the idea that “corruption reaches the president’s personal circle.”
The Popular Party’s offensive also includes testimonies from Montero and Calviño, as well as former ministers Raquel Sánchez and Arancha González Laya. While the PP has not yet called on Gómez to explain in the Senate, they have requested documentation from public and private institutions related to the president’s wife’s activities. The requests show the party’s effort to link the Air Europa bailout with Gómez’s professional relationships with Globalia, the company that owns the airline. The opposition party is also looking into the association between Gómez’s institute and the Federation of Rural Women, as well as the incident involving the Venezuelan Vice President in Barajas airport.
The PP remains determined to connect various issues to the case and show support for the investigations, asserting that this helps the Spanish people trust public institutions. The party believes that by requesting information and testimonies related to Gómez’s activities, they are shedding light on potential corruption cases. The requests for documentation and testimonies from various institutions and entities aim to leave no room for the government to hide these alleged corruption cases. The Popular Party’s firm stance on investigating these issues shows their commitment to accountability and transparency in public affairs.
In this ongoing saga, the PP continues to push for answers and investigations related to Begoña Gómez’s activities and potential conflicts of interest. The party’s efforts to bring the president and other government officials to the Senate commission demonstrate their determination to uncover any potential corruption cases and hold those responsible accountable. The push for transparency and accountability in public affairs is at the core of the PP’s actions in this matter, as they seek to restore public trust in institutions and shed light on any wrongdoing that may have occurred.