Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the funding of his Socialist Party was completely legal, Reuters reported, quoted by News.bg.
Sanchez was heard before a Senate committee investigating a corruption scandal involving his party that threatens his premiership. The senators are investigating allegations that senior Socialist officials received bribes in exchange for public contracts. Issues involving Sanchez's wife and brother are also being investigated.
The 266-member Senate is controlled by the main opposition Popular Party (PP), which has repeatedly called for the prime minister's resignation and early elections, accusing the leftist minority government of massive corruption.
"The Socialist Party is a party with absolutely clean finances," Sanchez said at the start of the hearing, which is expected to last about five hours, amid tense debate over alleged cash payments in envelopes.
He said the use of cash was legal and customary for party expenses, with receipts always issued. Asked if he had received such payments, the prime minister said he had made them "in some cases" against an invoice, but never over 1,000 euros - the legal limit in Spain.
Sánchez is only the second sitting Spanish prime minister to be questioned by the Senate. He described the investigation as a "circus" while arguing with a senator from the far-right Vox party who accused him of disrespecting the upper house.
The prime minister stressed that his government was implementing anti-corruption measures announced in July: "Zero corruption does not exist, but zero tolerance does," Sánchez said.
As part of the investigation, former Socialist number three Santos Cerdán remains in pre-trial detention, while José Luis Ábalos, a former transport minister (2020-2021), is implicated in an alleged plot to receive bribes to buy masks during the pandemic. Both were trusted advisors to Sanchez, who claims he was unaware of any wrongdoing, and Cerdan and Abalos deny the allegations.