Spanish
Health Minister Ana Mato has resigned after her former husband was linked to a
corruption scandal that involved the ruling People's Party. A judge had earlier
accused her of benefiting from a bribery scandal.
The
minister on Wednesday said she was standing down for the good of her party as
well as the government.
Mato made
her announcement only hours after a judge in Spain's Audiencia Nacional higher
court accused Mato of having benefited from the illegal business activities of
her former husband while he was mayor of the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo.
"I
don't want, under any circumstances, to damage the government of Spain, the
president or the People's Party by remaining in this post," she said.
Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy, officially the president of Spain's government, is due
to give an important speech on corruption this Thursday.
The massive
bribes scandal, known as the "Gurtel" case, allegedly extends to six
regional governments led by the People's Party (PP) and operated between 1999
and 2009, when an investigation began.
'I had no
knowledge'
Mato
stressed that she had not been charged and faced only the possibility of fines
"because of my family situation at the time the alleged events
occurred."
"The
ruling in no way accuses me of any crime," she said. "It signals that
I had no knowledge of any crime that could have been committed."
The
minister may have to return 50,000 euros ($62,000), the value of which the
judge said the family had received from one of her husband's contacts,
Francisco Correa.
Travel and
gifts are alleged to have been given as kickbacks for public contracts that
involved Mato's husband at the time, Jesus Sepulveda.
Speaking at
the Audiencia Nacional, Judge Pablo Ruz said he planned to ask Mato whether she
knew about the provenance of gifts that were received by her family. As well as
hotel stays and flights, they included luxury goods and family parties.
Clowns and
confetti
Spanish
media have reported that the family were treated to designer goods,
first-communion celebrations and even clowns and confetti for children's birthday
parties. Ruz is expected to determine the exact amount that Mato benefited from
"shortly," and she may be summoned to appear in court.
The judge
has dropped accusations against former Interior Minister Angel Acebes, who
remains under investigation for suspected illegal funding of the People's
Party. However, 43 people are to be charged over alleged involvement in the
scandal.
Mato's
popularity has been on the wane with the public, particularly after criticism
about her handling of the case of a Spanish nurse who became infected with the
Ebola virus.
Rajoy is
set to make a speech about corruption as his party approaches an election year.
The subject has enraged many Spaniards, with corruption the second-biggest
concern for the electorate after unemployment. Disillusionment with the two
main political parties has fueled support for an up-and-coming leftist
newcomer, Podemos.
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