Spanish Senate committee grills Zapatero's secretary: 121 charged
Zapatero's secretary appeared before a Spanish Senate committee: 121 people charged in 20 cases. A tense hearing, minute by minute.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spanish Senate committee grills Zapatero's secretary: 121 charged in 20 cases
It is no pleasure to appear before a Senate investigation committee, least of all when the government you served has 121 people charged in nearly twenty corruption cases. Gertrudis, the secretary of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has testified, and the result was anything but a walk in the park. The senators who questioned her, according to witnesses, showed a level of preparation that left much to be desired, though the tension was palpable: the questions pointed to the socialist government's management and the corruption scandal tainting the party. You should have seen her face when she was asked about alleged connivance with judges, who, according to some observers, were enjoying the show.
The corruption figures under the PSOE government
The most striking fact of the hearing was not Gertrudis's expression but the backdrop: 121 people charged and almost twenty open cases. A figure that, however much the official discourse tries to downplay it, weighs like a millstone over the appearances of former senior officials. In this context, ZP's secretary could do nothing but weather the storm. Some commentators point out that in a Senate committee, even more than in the Congress, the sense of futility is overwhelming because absolutely nothing is being said. More often than not, these hearings are more an exercise in posturing than a search for the truth.
An anecdote that says it all
Among the gems of the exchange, one curiosity circulated: one of the senators referred to something as a "pavo" (turkey), probably a verbal slip, which drew sniggers in the chamber. Small moments that capture the level of Spanish political debate: while corruption is being investigated, absurd details slip in with total ease.
Given this background, one has to ask: will this committee serve any purpose beyond killing time? For now, Gertrudis, ZP's secretary, has done her part. It is now the judges' turn.
It is no pleasure to appear before a Senate investigation committee, least of all when the government you served has 121 people charged in nearly twenty corruption cases. Gertrudis, the secretary of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has testified, and the result was anything but a walk in the park. The senators who questioned her, according to witnesses, showed a level of preparation that left much to be desired, though the tension was palpable: the questions pointed to the socialist government's management and the corruption scandal tainting the party. You should have seen her face when she was asked about alleged connivance with judges, who, according to some observers, were enjoying the show.
The corruption figures under the PSOE government
The most striking fact of the hearing was not Gertrudis's expression but the backdrop: 121 people charged and almost twenty open cases. A figure that, however much the official discourse tries to downplay it, weighs like a millstone over the appearances of former senior officials. In this context, ZP's secretary could do nothing but weather the storm. Some commentators point out that in a Senate committee, even more than in the Congress, the sense of futility is overwhelming because absolutely nothing is being said. More often than not, these hearings are more an exercise in posturing than a search for the truth.
An anecdote that says it all
Among the gems of the exchange, one curiosity circulated: one of the senators referred to something as a "pavo" (turkey), probably a verbal slip, which drew sniggers in the chamber. Small moments that capture the level of Spanish political debate: while corruption is being investigated, absurd details slip in with total ease.
Given this background, one has to ask: will this committee serve any purpose beyond killing time? For now, Gertrudis, ZP's secretary, has done her part. It is now the judges' turn.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
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