The Minister of Inclusion, Elma Saiz, has once again advocated for the presumption of innocence in relation to the investigations affecting the PSOE and has censured that the PP "is skipping all the rules surrounding judicial proceedings," including the secrecy of the investigation, thus violating, in her opinion, that presumption of innocence.
Saiz expressed this on Monday in Barcelona, at a meeting with journalists, when asked about the request by former socialist leader Ramón Jáuregui to convene an extraordinary congress of the PSOE. In response, the minister called for "absolute respect" for judicial proceedings.
She stressed that there is internal debate within the Socialist Party on a daily basis and recalled that the Federal Executive Commission had met that very morning: "It is a party where debate takes place and there are many voices. Undoubtedly, all are respected. It is another matter that I do not share, in this case, the one you are asking me about," she said regarding Jáuregui's words.
Furthermore, she advocated for her party's course of action: "The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party has always known how to act in a timely and appropriate manner. Others cannot say the same," she added.
Criticism of the PP for the anti-corruption plan
The minister called for allowing the courts to work and reproached the PP for "standing aside" when the Government has presented a plan to combat corruption, and indicated that the Executive has still not received a formal response from the Popular Party regarding this proposal.
In this context, Saiz alluded to current judicial affairs: "In this week where we are seeing one of the most important cases, such as the 'Kitchen' case, where we have seen a former Minister of the Interior of the Popular Party testify, if the Popular Party is committed to corruption, why doesn't it respond?" she asked.
She detailed that the anti-corruption plan includes legislative changes and more than 80 measures "that can range from the creation of an independent agency to lowering the threshold for declaring donations received by political parties from 25,000 to 2,500 euros."
Saiz questioned the attitude of the main opposition party: "What is the Popular Party's proposal and why doesn't it sit down and why doesn't it participate, contribute, and support the Government in this plan to combat corruption? Or is it perhaps that they are only looking for headlines?" she wondered.
Message to Feijóo and the PP opposition
Questioned about the words of the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has assured that he has the formula to promote an instrumental motion and force elections, the minister has replied that what is demanded of the PP, as the main opposition force, is that "it be a party up to what citizenship needs".
She has also directed a direct reproach to the popular leader, questioning "why he stands aside on issues as important as abstaining on the 5,000 million that have been put on the table to alleviate the effects of the war in Iran", and has insisted that, in her opinion, the PP is not exercising an opposition in line with Spain's needs.
Saiz made these statements during the presentation of a report by the Economic and Social Council (CES), at an event in which the Minister of Social Rights of the Generalitat, Mònica Martínez Bravo; the president of the CES, Antón Costas; the president of the Council of Labor, Economic and Social of Catalonia (CTESC), Ciriaco Hidalgo; the president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre; the president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, and the general secretaries of UGT of Catalonia, Camil Ros, and CC.OO. of Catalonia, Belén López, also intervened.