Spain: Inspectors who never probed Zapatero to earn €25,000 a month

Inspectors who never probed Zapatero to earn €25,000 a month

At least four Spanish tax inspectors have landed posts abroad with salaries that can reach €25,000 a month. The destinations, according to information published by El Debate, include embassies in Washington D.C., Panama and Brussels. The Finance Ministry is said to have rewarded senior officials at the Tax Agency who did not order investigations into former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero or David Sánchez, the brother of the Prime Minister, both implicated in corruption cases.

Promotions that triple their salaries

The appointments affect the top brass of the agency, which until less than a month ago was headed by Soledad Fernández Doctor. According to the same outlet, the leadership wanted to resign over pressure from the government. With these postings, salaries can triple. It is no minor detail: €25,000 a month for a position that, in theory, should serve the general interest, as Article 103 of the Constitution reminds us. The administration, the text says, acts with objectivity and full submission to the law.

A reward for not investigating?

Reactions were not long in coming. Some see in these moves a humiliation for taxpayers and one more example of an administration that runs on favors and under-the-table payments. Others point out that, before talking about a crime, it is wise to wait for the courts to rule. But the fact that golden postings are being handed to those who did not push investigations into the former Prime Minister and the head of government's brother leaves an aroma that is hard to ignore.

The problem is that the decision has already been made. And nothing suggests it will be reviewed. With the Tax Agency subject to political pressure, the question is not whether these appointments are legal, but whether anyone will dare to judge them.