Rajoy denies secret slush fund salary

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has denied that he and other senior members of the ruling People’s Party received regular cash payments from a secret slush fund.

Allegations in the Spanish media claim Rajoy was paid 25,000 euros a year for 11 years with money donated by construction companies.

“I’ve never received under the table money. Nor in this political party, nor anywhere else. I’ve nothing to hide and I’m not afraid of the truth,” he said.

El Pais published detailed photos of accounts allegedly kept by former party treasurer Luis Bárcenas, which detail payments to Rajoy and Rodrigo Rato, the former finance minister.
Luis Bárcenas, who resigned from the party after being involved in a separate corruption case, denied the accounts were his.

Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is the leader of Socialist opposition:

“Should a country like Spain should have a Prime Minister who is linked to a character like Mr Bárcenas, someone who has an account in Switzerland with 22 millions euros from alleged illegal activities”.

Protesters staged demonstrations outside the People’s Party headquarters in Madrid.

Spain’s attorney-general said the allegations were enough to launch an investigation.

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