The PP spokesperson in the Upper House, Alicia García, announced this Thursday an "offensive" in the Senate's investigation commission on SEPI directed against former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The popular party plans to summon several key figures in this case to testify, including the former leader's socialist secretary, María Gertrudis Alcázar, the former minister and current governor of the Bank of Spain, José Luis Escrivá, and Manuel Aarón Fajardo, whom the PP places as Zapatero's lieutenant in Venezuela.
García detailed this at a press conference in the Senate, where she announced that the Popular Group will use its absolute majority to expand the list of attendees in this investigation commission on SEPI.
"We announce a total offensive in the SEPI Investigation Commission to continue uncovering everything that the Government of Spain and Sánchez want to hide," stressed the PP leader.
This new package of summons includes Zapatero's secretary, María Gertrudis Alcázar, to whom the popular party attributes having given "instructions for the constitution of a company in Dubai," as well as "participation in the dealings carried out with public bodies."
Cristóbal Cano is also scheduled to appear before the commission, whom the PP describes as the businessman Julio Martínez's "manager": "He acted as the daily liaison for the corporate environment controlled by Martínez. The plumbers of the financial system to move the illegal money from the Plus Ultra bailout."
Regarding the summons of José Luis Escrivá, the popular party warns that he will have to clarify in the Senate "who ordered him to meet with Zapatero, who demanded that he make the Plus Ultra debt disappear, and if his promotion to the Bank of Spain has anything to do with this move."
The list of attendees is also extended to Manuel Aarón Fajardo, whom the PP considers Zapatero's "lieutenant" in Venezuela and who, they emphasize, "will have to explain why Plus Ultra contacted him, what they needed, what they offered Zapatero, and what he accepted."
New summons for Zapatero, his daughters, or Sánchez?
García added that the PP keeps the door open to continue expanding the list of those summoned to the SEPI investigation commission. She does not rule out requesting the presence of former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero again, or his daughters, or even asking for explanations from the current head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez.
Questioned about a possible new summons for Zapatero after his indictment, the popular spokesperson in the Senate has indicated that her group is reviewing "every comma" of the judicial order and also the statements that the former president made in his previous appearance in the Upper House.
"We are also following what Zapatero said here, the contradictions, the lies, which there are," stated the PP senator, who added that her party remains "expectant" regarding the judicial declaration scheduled for next June 2. "When that happens, we will consider summoning or not," she pointed out.
In this scenario, García has indicated that the PP is designing "a global strategy" for the two investigation commissions opened in the Senate, that of the Koldo case and that of SEPI, accompanied by a legal analysis of all the appearances held so far.
In relation to a possible summons for Zapatero's daughters, the spokesperson has not ruled it out, referring to information about alleged payments for report layout work. "We are also going to wait for the declarations and the evolution of the investigations. We are not ruling out anything at all," she indicated.
Asked if the PP considers calling Sánchez again to any of these commissions, García has demanded that the president offer public explanations after the indictment of the former socialist leader.
"The President of the Government must give explanations in the Congress of Deputies. It is of sufficient political and institutional gravity to do so," defended the PP spokesperson in the Senate, who has even maintained that "in any healthy democracy" an Executive would have resigned or called elections in a situation of this nature.