Spanish Anti-Corruption Attorney demands 42 year-sentence for former PP treasurer

The Spanish Anti-Corruption Attorney on Friday asked for a 42-year prison sentence for former Treasurer of the ruling Popular Party (PP) Luis Barcenas, as well as citing the PP as a beneficiary of the Gurtel Corruption case.

The findings were part of a 512-page accusation brief compiled following a 5-year investigation into the Gurtel bribes for contracts scandal.

Barcenas is not the only former PP treasurer to be involved in the case, with Anti-Corruption also asking for eight years in jail for former party Treasurer Angel Sanchis for lying and money laundering and three years for Alvaro Lapuerta for false earnings.

Meanwhile the former President of the Community of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, has also been called as a witness.

The Attorney has also asked for a 123-year sentence for Francisco Correa, who is considered the mastermind of the scandal, which originally targeted 200 suspects, but now has a list of 41 defendants, who face a total of 800 years in jail.

Correa is thought to have ensured the cooperation of PP officials on regional and local level with bribes of either money or gifts.

Among those accused of awarding public contracts after receiving bribes is Jesus Sepulveda, the former Mayor of the town of Pozuelo outside of Madrid and the ex-husband of former Health Minister Ana Mato, who resigned at the end of last year as a result of having benefitted economically from the case.

Judge Pablo Ruz, who has been investigating the scandal, believes cites 348 events in the Madrid region were directly or indirectly handed to companies controlled by Correa, who created his empire in the 1990's.

Ruz has also investigated activities in the region of Castilla and Leon as well as the town of Estepona, close to Malaga, while the Gurtel organization was also very active in the Community of Valencia. Endit