Pedro Sánchez sends a forceful 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 known corruption plot like the ‘Koldo case’. During a visit to Rome after meeting with Pope Francis, the president was clear when answering questions from the press. “Unlike past times, there will be no impunity. If there is corruption, whoever does it must pay for it,” he said.
Sánchez has 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 has been the slightest hint of a case of corruption, action has been taken with forcefulness and determination. We asked former Minister Ábalos for the deputy’s record, although he refused. And we proceeded to process an expulsion file from the party. So I insist on absolute forcefulness in the face of any hint of corruption and absolute collaboration with the justice system and the police, something that unfortunately did not happen in past times,” he said in reference to the PP.
Regarding the famous trip of the Venezuelan vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, which ended in a strange meeting at the Barajas airport with José Luis Ábalos and his trusted men Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama (two of the alleged ringleaders of the plot), the President of the Government has explained that his team simply canceled Rodríguez’s visit when he learned that he was a person sanctioned by the European Union.
“Ábalos informed me of that private visit and when we realized that there were sanctions against the vice president, that visit was canceled. Any other issue that has to do with alleged criminal practices will have to be determined by the state security forces and bodies,” 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 held this Friday with Pope Francis, with whom he met for 35 minutes. The President of the Government explained that during his conversation with the head of the Vatican they addressed the war situation in Ukraine and the Middle East and also discussed the policies that Spain is developing regarding migration management.
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 the relationship between Spain and the Catholic Church. As the president explained, in that conversation the Vatican was informed of the need to re-signify the Cuelgamuros Valley, the former Valley of the Fallen, after the exhumation of the dictator Franco and in compliance with the law of democratic memory.
Pedro Sánchez has also stated that he has expressed his “total willingness to reach an agreement” on the investigation of sexual abuse committed within the Church in Spain.
Source: www.eldiario.es
