Corruption probe widens net as Popular Party headquarters raided

THE OFFICES of the Popular Party and international construction firm OHL have been raided by Spanish police, in connection with an on-going corruption investigation, reports from February 12 confirm.

As part of a bribery and money laundering probe, the offices of former PP member Beltran Gutierrez and OHL board member Javier Lopez were searched on February 11, the latest in a series of raids that have left the PP red-faced.   

The latest phase of corruption investigations concerns the alleged payment of unauthorized commissions in exchange for lucrative work contracts worth €250 million (£322 million). 

The Spanish political landscape has been blighted by corruption allegations in recent months. A former PP regional president was detained along with 23 others in Valencia, January 2015, while in 2014, 51 people, including businessmen and high-profile government officials, were arrested on suspicion of bid rigging. 

The latest opinion polls have revealed that political corruption sits in second place on a list of Spain´s most pressing social concerns, while unemployment, still topping 20 per cent in the country, takes the top spot. 

The shadow cast by the allegations has seen the ruling PP party lose votes and lead to the current political meltdown still in play.