by & nbspgavin Blackburn & nbspwith & nbspAP, transported
It’s published
A Spanish Supreme Court investigator judge ordered a former senior official of the ruling Socialist Party to be held in pretrial detention Monday as part of a corruption investigation that could derail Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority government.
The incident involving Santos Serdan is the latest and undoubtedly the most serious in a series of scandals in which Sanchez issued a public apology and forced him to drive calls from political opponents away for the snap election.
Judge Leopold Puente is investigating allegations against former Minister of Transport Jose Luis Avalos and his aide Cordo Garcia Serdan, who received a kickback to award a public works contract.
Serdan resigned from the office earlier this month but denied the allegations.
Avalos and Garcia also say they are innocent.
Cerdán’s resignation came after a statement from Puente citing “strong evidence” that he may have been involved in the “inappropriate award” of the contract.
In court documents, Puente said previous officials could face charges that include membership in criminal organizations, influence and bribery.
The judge denied Seldan’s request for bail, citing concerns that he might attempt to destroy or hide evidence as his home has not yet been searched.
Bridge also said Serdan represents flight risk.
The case was built on recordings spanning several years and seized from Garcia’s home. This said it looked real despite defendants claiming their voices were manipulated.
The judge said Cerdán appears to be the group leader.
On Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he acted decisively by defending his socialist party’s handling of corruption allegations and ordering him to resign.
“Justice must determine the responsibility that Santos Serdan may have,” Sanchez told reporters at the UN summit in Seville.
