Gürtel case
As caso belt (about: Belts affair) has been known since early 2009 in Spain arousing sensation case of suspected corruption and money donations affairs. The case was initially investigated by Baltasar Garzón from the Spanish Supreme Criminal Court, the Audiencia Nacional, from February 2009. Due to the involvement of people with political immunity, namely members of regional parliaments and regional governments members, Garzón was the case later to the Supreme Judicial Courts of the regions of Valencia and Madrid from.
Involved in the scandal are several members of the conservative Popular Party Popular Party, at times as these, the Spanish government under Prime Minister José María Aznar. The charges are based, among others, to high party officials in the autonomous regions of Valencia and Madrid, including the Valencian Prime Minister Francisco Camps, who consequently 20 July 2011 announced his retirement. The focus of the affair are the entrepreneur Francisco Correa and his three employees Álvaro Pérez " El Bigotes ", Pablo Crespo and Antoine Sánchez. By their influence operated on Economic and party committees, they are said to have embezzled subsidy fraud by different companies public money.
After the main defendants Francisco Correa, the first undercover investigations were internally referred to police ( correa in German means "belt" ) as " operación belt". The case was therefore known as the " caso belt " Even in the Spanish media.
Background
The case goes back to an ad in late 2007, when a former city council member of the PP in Majadahonda filed charges against Correa. According to the subsequent investigation, which were based on, among other secret recordings of persons involved in the case, should Correa and his three stewards Pérez, Sánchez Crespo and using front companies for fictitious money orders received from public funds. They should also have benefited illegally in the preparation of development plans.
The connection between the group of Correa and the PP should go back to the Aznar's decision to organize all public party events through a company Correas. After the end of the reign Aznar's this relationship of Aznar's successor, Mariano Rajoy was dissolved. Use of gifts and bribes to PP members in various regional governments and parliaments they should then have the illegal business forward. To the recipients of these gifts are intended to include Alejandro Agag ( the son of Aznar ) and about twenty other members of the PP.
Publication
After the case had become known in early 2009 with the arrest Correas, published the conservative daily El Mundo that the investigating judge Baltasar Garzón and the Spanish Minister of Justice, Mariano Fernández Bermejo had previously been briefly together on a hunting event. PP -related media therefore suspected that the PSOE -led government and Zapatero Garzón would colluding to harm the PP in the weeks before the regional elections in Galicia and the Basque Country. They were accused of a "method against a whole party" plan; Garzón, who had been in the nineties even parliamentarians for the PSOE, cherish a "well-known aversion " against the PP. These allegations were rejected by the parties. Nevertheless, Fernández Bermejo joined because of the fierce criticism a little later from his office, Garzón had to be hospitalized because of an anxiety attack. The Madrid Regional Association of the PP, as the aggrieved party to the dispute intervened in the case, represented a challenge for bias against him, which was refused. After the PP had risen shortly thereafter action for violation of the law against Garzón, he handed over the case to the Supreme Judicial Courts of Madrid and Valencia regions, since they are responsible because of the implication of immunity carriers. The action of the PP was in early April rejected by the Spanish Supreme Court.
Follow the investigation
In Madrid
Shortly after learning of the case had in the Autonomous Community of Madrid three PP members from different offices to withdraw: the regional sports minister Alberto López Viejo, the former mayor of Majadahonda Guillermo Ortega and the Mayor of Boadilla del Monte Arturo González Panero.
Even the then PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas and the then MEP Gerardo Galeote and the deputy in the Spanish Parliament, Jesús Merino Delgado were accused by the investigators to be involved in the case. The media also published more names of people who were involved, according to the investigation file in the case, including the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Castile and Leon region, Jesús Merino.
On October 6, 2009, about a quarter of the investigation files were released by the Supreme Court of Madrid, which included the investigations Garzón. Subsequently, three more regional parliamentarians of PP were expelled from the party. However, other defendants maintained their party membership. Prominent was the case of Luis Bárcenas whose legal fees were even adopted by the PP. Also known as April 6, 2010 more investigation files were published, which contained, among other things, new evidence suggests that Bárcenas had collected illegal commissions, the PP initially maintained its support for him. However Bárcenas then announced his own party outlet, and some weeks later canceling their seat in the Spanish Senate. Jesús Merino Delgado also resigned.
In Valencia
Even in the region of Valencia, the case has had an impact. It soon became known that the Regional Minister Francisco Camps in accordance with the investigations Garzón had received gifts in the form of expensive suits and other garments of Correa and other accomplices. Garzón also accused the PP -General in the Valencia region and leader in the regional parliament, Ricardo Costa, as well as other high-ranking party members before any involvement in the affair. After camp had initially agreed to have paid the suits himself, he later admitted the gift stated, however, to have it brought nothing in return.
On 14 May 2009, a few weeks before the European elections in Spain in 2009, announced by the Supreme Court of the Valencian Community that Camps, Costa and two other PP members should be interrogated as suspects. Several senior members of the national PP leadership immediately defended the innocence camps ' and criticized the " hunt " against him. After the interrogation on 20 May, the Court announced the commencement of proceedings against camps. This procedure was, however, a few weeks later discontinued again after the Court had found with two votes to one that there is not sufficient evidence capable to bring the gift of suits with the granting of public contracts to Correa and his representative. However, the prosecutor appealed against this decision. The Valencian PSOE interfered in the case, after it was revealed that one of the judges who had voted for the setting of the case, was a friend of camps. In May 2010, ordered the Tribunal Supremo, the Spanish Supreme Court, at the resumption of the investigation into camps. In July 2011, the investigating judge of the Valencian Supreme Court decided to initiate a process that is scheduled to open in fall 2011. On July 20, 2011 camps were therefore his resignation as Prime Minister known, but further stated his innocence. Two other party members declared themselves guilty, however, to avoid the scheduled from the Valencian Supreme Court hearing in the corruption case, which would have fallen into the campaign against the planned for 2012 Spanish general election. They had previously negotiated with the national leadership of the PP about possible political compensations for this step. Since Camps and Costa blame statement but refused, the process will still take place.
On 24 September 2009, the newspaper El País reported eventually a police report, which explained the functioning of bribes in Valencia. Consequently, had Ricardo Costa and the regional Vice Prime Minister Vicente Rambla occupied a central position in it and also accepted illegal political contributions for the PP. Shortly afterwards, the newspaper reported on various police interception operations against confidante Correa intended to prove that camps had been informed about the affair. After then, the national PP tip though again taken Camps in protection, but by the Regional Association of the consequences Party had called for Ricardo Costa was " provisionally " released in October 2009 from his offices, as well as some other party members. In September 2010, however, he was readmitted to the party and, like other accused in the affair party members re-erected at the Valencian regional elections of 2011 to a safe list position so that he could return to the regional parliament.
Wiretapping affair
To a " affair in the affair " it came, when it became known that a large part of the investigation Garzón was based on secretly intercepted conversations of defendants in the case with their lawyers. Therefore, Francisco Correa and some other defendants brought a charge of violation of the law against Garzón. On 23 March 2010, the Supreme Court of Madrid decided not to allow the call logs as evidence.