Rajoy: arrest of Rodrigo Rato # 34; affects # 34; the party – The Universal

 The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, acknowledged today that the case manager’s former director of the IMF, Rodrigo Rato, who was arrested last Thursday, “specially affected” his party, the PP (center right).
 

 

 Rato, who was finance minister from 1996 to 2004 and leader and member of PP for years, is investigated of course laundering, fraud and hoist (concealment) of goods after they were accepted in 2012 to a tax amnesty adopted by the Rajoy government and the Treasury detect irregularities in the origin of money.
 

 

 For Rato has created a stir in Spain, because it is a politician who has held significant positions, also was president of the entities Caja Madrid and Bankia- and their own colleagues of PP praised for years.
 

 

 Rajoy himself admitted today told reporters in Murcia (east), where Rodrigo Rato said was, within his party, one of his “most important asset”.
 

 

 However, he said that all Spaniards are equal before the law and that the case of Rato “has absolutely nothing to do” with the tax amnesty of 2012, but is derived from “normal activities” of the tax.
 

 

 “From now on we will say what the Tax Office, the Attorney General and Justice, and the Government will ensure the independence (of these agencies), as it always has,” said the chief executive.
 

 

 Although Rato is investigated in other cases linked to the management that made Caja Madrid and Bankia in 2011 and 2012 her detained and forced into a police car has occupied the front pages of the Spanish press and the headwaters of the image information.
 

 

 This comes five weeks of a municipal and regional elections (May 24) on which the polls predict a decrease of citizens support the candidates of PP, which could result in loss of local power.
 

 

 Some PP leaders have expressed in the past two days the fear that many corruption cases and the case of Rato (although he left the party membership last October) can damage the electoral prospects.
 

 

 As for the procedural status of Rato, following his arrest a few hours on Thursday listed as investigated for fraud, concealment of assets and money laundering and a judge has ordered the blocking of all current accounts, deposits, funds and loans owned to your name as well as companies related to it.
 

 

 prv