Spain’s ruling Socialist rocked by graft scandal

MADRID: A scandal involving drugs, prostitution and kickbacks for public works is rocking Spain´s ruling Socialists ahead of a year-end general election which polls suggest the party will struggle to win.

At the heart of the affair is Juan Bernardo Fuentes, who has been forced to resign as a Socialist lawmaker from the Canary Islands. Public prosecutors allege the 60-year-old, also known as Tito Berni, collected kickbacks from businessmen in exchange for winning public contracts, European funds or exemptions from health inspections during the Covid-19 crisis.

To benefit from the scheme the businessmen allegedly made an initial payment of 5,000 euros to a sports association headed by Fuentes via a “mediator” -- businessman Antonio Navarro.