Slush fund case adjourned due to Covid
THE TRIAL over the alleged parallel accounting of the Partido Popular (PP) was opened and adjourned this week in the High Court after one of the defendants tested positive for Covid-19.
Judge José Antonio Mora stated that the delay was to give Cristóbal Páez time to recover from the illness.
He stated that the trial would recommence on Tuesday (February 16) if Sr Páez was well enough.
The state prosecution service has asked for an 18-month jail term for the former PP politician.
Another defendant in the case, former party treasurer Luis Bárcenas has been called for questioning on Monday in a different branch of the investigation.
High court judge Santiago Pedraz is examining whether alleged under-the-counter payments made to the PP by businessmen helped them to win lucrative public contracts.
Judge Pedraz was responding to the letter written last week by Sr Bárcenas to the prosecution service from his
prison cell in which he declared his desire to collaborate with the criminal justice system.
Sr Bárcenas said he was prepared to aid both investigations even though he was both a defendant and a suspect in the two cases due to his role as
former national PP party treasurer.
Judge Pedraz has also asked for documentation from an investigation in another case linked to Sr Bárcenas.
This probe surrounds the so-called ‘Caso Kitchen’, in which the former chauffer of
Sr Bárcenas was allegedly recruited by the ministry of the interior several years ago when it was run by the PP.
The brief of the chauffer was allegedly to find any proof that Sr Bárcenas might have against the PP and destroy it.