The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, maintains that there are sufficient elements for the courts to investigate the alleged meeting between a PP lawyer and the former ministerial adviser Koldo García, and he has reiterated his demand for explanations to the leader of the conservatives, Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
However, he has said that he does not know whether, from the PSOE, any meeting has taken place with García’s defense. He downplays the possibility and believes that meetings between lawyers "within the judicial world have their logic".
In an interview in 'La Séptima' collected by Europa Press, the head of the Executive has again urged Feijóo to provide explanations, after García said that, from the PP, they offered him one million euros to testify against him before the judge.
The PP has denied that account, although the Deputy Secretary for Institutional Regeneration, Cuca Gamarra, did acknowledge that there was a meeting, while in all cases denying that she was offered any financial consideration. Sánchez has relied on Gamarra’s statements to increase the pressure on Feijóo and demand that he clarify what happened.
The president describes the case as "extraordinary seriousness" and says that "there is evidence to begin an investigation". In addition, he has demanded that "Just as Justice is jealous in investigating judicial cases that affect my party, then let it be so also in this case."
Along the same lines, he has gone after the digital outlet Ok diario, which he accuses of having "paid the defense" of Koldo García in exchange for the latter defaming him and his circle with the aim of "bringing down" the Government. In his view, this point is even more serious than a possible meeting by the PSOE with the defense of the former adviser, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for corruption.
"This is more serious. It’s not that you have a relationship, a lawyer with another lawyer that, well, this within the judicial world has its logic," he said.
"Here what we are talking about is that the accusation is pay me the defense, which is what I do: defame the President of the Government, his wife and the Government of Spain with lies," he concluded.
ZAPATERO AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO PLUS ULTRA
Meanwhile, Sánchez has claimed that he reacted firmly to the corruption cases that have hit his party and leaders of his highest trust, such as former minister José Luis Ábalos or former Organization Secretary, Santos Cerdán.
About former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, he has stated that he never talked to him about the airline 'Plus Ultra', which is the focus of an investigation for alleged influence peddling in which he is being investigated, nor did he tell him anything about any company.
Regarding the jewels found in Zapatero's office, Sánchez has pointed out that, knowing him and after having spoken a lot with him, "the last thing he wants is to have those jewels again".