Another former minister forced to deny taking illegal bungs in Spain

A FORMER minister has denied accepting money from an illegal PP party slush fund.

Ex-Foreign Minister Ana Palacios denies the claim of former PP treasurer, Luis Barcenas, that she took 6.000 euros on February 10, 2004.

She insists it was impossible as she had left Spain the day before and that it was therefore impossible to have been handed money as claimed in legal documents.

It comes after the former treasurer gave evidence in court over the so called ‘Barcenas Files’ which show that members of the PP party and even the Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took illegal cash payments.

He insisted all the paperwork that had been printed in both El Pais and El Mundo were ‘authentic’ and that he had many other documents to back up his claims.

The secret ledgers reflect illegal payments to the party for campaign costs worth 7.5 million euros between 1990 and 2008.

They also record cash bonuses to top party leaders, including Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and María Dolores de Cospedal, the party secretary general.

According to these accounts, campaign strategy adviser Pedro Arriola took home the largest amount: a total of 778,012 euros from 1990 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2003.

Others taking money were a right-wing newspaper Libertad Digital, as well as opposition leader in Equitorial Guinea Severo Moto.

The PP’s Environment Minister Elvira Rodriguez took payments between 2003 and 2004.

“The money was always paid in cash and on a monthly basis depending on liquidity,” Barcenas told Judge Ruz in Madrid’s High Court.

He said it went to many people and that it was clear the party was ‘violating party financing legislation.’

He added that both the president and the parties various general secretaries were fully aware of the donations.

“When donors showed up with a wad of bills, the money was never counted in front of them because that would have been tactless,” he continued.