23 Jun, 2016 @ 10:27
1 min read

Spanish PM Rajoy stands by interior minister after he refuses to resign over smear allegations

jorge fernandez diaz ignacio gil
jorge-fernandez-diaz-ignacio-gil--644x362
Interior Minister Diaz

SPAIN’S Interior Minister is refusing to resign after leaked tapes link him to a smear campaign of separatist politicians in Catalonia.

Jorge Fernandez Diaz is reportedly heard discussing ways to discredit pro-independence parties with Catalonia’s top anti-fraud official.

They are thought to have been recorded two years ago when the region held a referendum on independence from Spain.

Mr Diaz has said:

“I remember having had this meeting, but as for the content of these conversations, I remember the general gist, which was to meet a magistrate that heads up the anti-fraud office of the regional government, whose mission is to fight fraud and corruption.

“To claim that an interior minister is conspiring against members of Catalonia’s government is surreal.”

Leaders of opposition parties have been calling for his resignation since the tapes were leaked on the Publico website.

Hundreds of Catalonians, waving independence flags, st

RAJOY: Wants to end working day at 6pm
RAJOY: Standing by minister

aged a demonstration in Barcelona yesterday calling for the same.

 

Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his colleague had provided a ‘clear’ explanation and that there is no need for him to resign.

He said: “As we’re four days before the end of the campaign, someone is trying to take advantage and fish in troubled waters to see what comes out.”

Spain will hold its general election on June 26.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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