Spain’s Socialist Party under PM Pedro Sanchez bans members from paying for sex amid deepening corruption scandals. Photo/X.
Spain’s ruling Socialist Party led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced a ban on members paying for sex, as the party fights to contain the increasing corruption that has rocked the government.
The new rule implemented by the Sanchex government on Saturday, states that if any party member is caught “soliciting or accepting sexual acts for money,”he or she will face immediate expulsion.
The rule to ban such acts comes as the party is mired in corruption allegations, secret recordings, and sexual harassment claims.
The corruption scandal centers on Santos Cerdán, a key ally and former right-hand man of Sanchez, who was jailed on Monday for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for awarding construction contracts.
Worsening the situation, secret audio recordings have surfaced in which party officials were heard discussing kickbacks and hiring sex workers.
Sanchez, apologized for having “trusted the wrong people” but refused to step down, saying, “The captain doesn’t abandon ship during storms.”
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At the heart of the case is Cerdán, accused of receiving illegal payments from businesses seeking government contracts. Authorities reportedly uncovered evidence of him discussing these illegal deals with José Luis Ábalos, Spain’s former transport minister.
One of the companies implicated, Servinabar, abruptly shifted from event planning to winning a lucrative €76 million tunnel construction project. Leaked tapes from the scandal revealed officials making crude remarks about women and sex workers in connection to these deals.
Cerdán has denied all wrongdoing, claiming he is the victim of *“political revenge”* for helping Sanchez rise to power.
Just hours before Sanchez’s key address on Saturday, another controversy erupted. Francisco Salazar, a prominent party figure who was slated for promotion, resigned following allegations of sexual harassment.
Several women have accused Salazar of inappropriate conduct, like making remarks about their bodies, inviting them to private dinners, and even asking one woman to sleep at his house.
Salazar while stepped down pending investigation said, he “can’t recall” the alleged behavior but
Sanchez tried to douse the ciris by replacing jailed official Santos Cerdán with Rebeca Torro, a 44-year-old lawyer. The Socialist Party also announced a series of reforms aimed at curbing corruption.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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