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España: el escándalo de corrupción con los barbijos ahora complica a Pedro Sánchez en el Congreso
Los daños colaterales de la presunta corrupción en la compra de barbijos durante la pandemia que salpica al PSOE afectan el delicado equilibrio que el gobierno de coalición de Pedro Sánchez mantiene en el Parlamento, donde lograr la aprobación de cada una de sus propuestas se está convirtiendo en una prueba de fuego.
Porque después de haber intentado forzar la renuncia del diputado José Luis Abalos -ex secretario de organización del partido y ex responsable del Ministerio de Transporte- para que deje su banca, la negativa del ex ministro complica al gobierno.
El ministerio que dirigía Abalos habría realizado las contrataciones de cuyas comisiones irregulares se habría beneficiado quien era su asesor más cercano, Koldo García Izaguirre.
Este martes al mediodía se cumplió el plazo de 24 horas que los socialistas le habían dado a Abalos para que renunciara. “No somos jueces, ni fiscales, ni juzgamos pero creemos que hay una responsabilidad política y esperamos que la entrega del acta (de diputado) se produzca en las próximas 24 horas”, había dicho el lunes la portavoz de la Ejecutiva del PSOE, Esther Peña.
Pero Abalos no sólo no renunció a su banca en el Congreso. Convocó este martes a una conferencia de prensa donde anunció que permanecerá como diputado -ya que el escaño es suyo y no del partido político al que representa- y que pasará en solitario al grupo mixto que es el que integran los partidos que no alcanzan a contar con una representación de 15 diputados.
Hoy el grupo mixto está formado por las cinco bancas de Podemos, la del Bloque Nacionalista Gallego, la de Unión del Pueblo Navarro y la que corresponde a Coalición Canaria.
“Soy inocente”
“No puedo acabar mi carrera política ni mi trayectoria como una corrupto cuando soy inocente”, dijo Abalos este martes.
“Si renuncio se interpretaría como signo de debilidad”, aclaró. Por ahora, no pesa ningún cargo contra él.
“Ante la necesidad de defenderme y restituir mi honor como diputado y como persona y ante la necesidad de no comprometer al grupo parlamentario socialista, he decidido pasar al grupo mixto del Congreso de los Diputados desde donde seguiré defendiendo las ideas que fundamentaron el inicio de mi activismo político”, dijo Abalos.
Un diputado menos
Su salida de las filas del PSOE reduce la presencia socialista en el Congreso. A partir de este martes, el partido de Pedro Sánchez cuenta con 120 diputados propios.
Podría parecer un mínimo traspié en el bloque de 179 diputados de ocho partidos que le dieron la mayoría absoluta para que fuera reelecto en noviembre del año pasado.
Pero si se afina un poca la mirada, Sánchez consiguió su tercera investidura a cambio de pactar con partidos tan disímiles como los independentistas catalanes y vascos, tanto de derecha como de izquierda, que no le ponen fácil la gobernabilidad.
Además, el adiós de Podemos a la coalición de partidos de izquierda -Sumar- que la actual ministra de Trabajo Yolanda Díaz creó en 2022 redujo su grupo parlamentario: de las 31 bancas de Sumar obtenidas en las elecciones generales de julio del año pasado, hoy cuenta con 26.
El abogado que denunció
Clarín contactó al abogado Ramiro Grau, que fue quien realizó la primera denuncia sobre la trama corrupta que estaría detrás de los contratos para comprar barbijos a China y de cuyas comisiones se habría beneficiado la mano derecha del ex ministro Abalos, Koldo García Izaguirre.
Era asesor del ex ministro y el 20 de febrero fue detenido en Alicante por la Guardia Civil. Y aunque quedó en libertad dos días después, se lo investiga por haber cobrado, presuntamente, comisiones ilegales en la compra de material sanitario para el Ministerio del Interior, el de Transporte y para las comunidades autónomas insulares, las de Baleares y Canarias.
García Izaguirre fue guardia de seguridad y chofer. Además de su asesor, Abalos lo nombró consejero de Renfe Mercancías, la empresa pública de trenes españoles.
En dos años, su patrimonio engordó 1,5 millones de euros.
“Desde el año 2020 lo vengo denunciando”, cuenta a Clarín Grau, quien descubrió que una empresa de Zaragoza, la ciudad en la que vive, “que no tenía ninguna actividad y que en 2019 había facturado cero euros, se había convertido en el proveedor exclusivo del Ministerio de Transportes”.
Pero nadie escuchó su reclamo. “Abalos era el segundo del partido, era ministro y nadie se animaba a meterse con él”, justifica Grau que su denuncia quedara en nada.
Diez cartas a Pedro Sánchez
El abogado aclara que llegó a mandar diez escritos dirigidos directamente al presidente del gobierno. Nunca recibió respuesta.
“Ahora Abalos es un simple diputado y ha perdido bastante fuerza o capacidad de presión e influencia”, cree Grau.
“Y quiero pensar también que la Fiscalía especial contra la corrupción y la delincuencia organizada, que es la que lleva el asunto, es un órgano que hace bien su trabajo -asegura-. En última instancia, son los que me han hecho caso”.
“Rendir un tributo a la derecha, como creo que hace la dirección política de mi partido, no va a impedir que la derecha siga con su cacería más allá de mi persona”, dijo Abalos cuando confesó que no pensaba renunciar a su banca.
El Partido Popular ya anunció que elevará la denuncia contra el PSOE a la Fiscalía Europea, a la Oficina europea de la Lucha contra el Fraude y a la Comisión Europea.
El caso de corrupción que se investiga no deja de ser una piedra en el zapato de Pedro Sánchez, quien pisó por primera vez La Moncloa en junio de 2018 cuando desalojó a Mariano Rajoy, precisamente, con una moción de censura por corrupción dentro del Partido Popular.
“Somos un gobierno que nació de la necesidad de acabar con la corrupción de la anterior administración, y que ha hecho de la ejemplaridad su bandera”, dijo Sánchez el fin de semana, durante la reunión en Madrid de la Internacional Socialista que también preside.
“La lucha contra la corrupción ha de ser implacable -agregó ante los representantes socialistas de cientos de países-. Venga de donde venga y caiga quien caiga”.
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Canada’s new PM and Trump critic Mark Carney accused of being out of touch with the ‘common man’
OTTAWA-Canada’s self-described ‘globalist’ new Prime Minister Mark Carney immediately took aim at President Donald Trump upon winning his party’s leadership contest last week.
Carney criticized President Trump during his acceptance speech when he won the Liberal leadership last Sunday, saying that Canada’s tariffs against the United States will remain until the Americans «show us respect» and added that Canadians «are always ready when someone else drops the gloves.»
He also tried to tie Trump to his main challenger. «Donald Trump thinks he can weaken us with his plan to divide and conquer,» while «Pierre Poilievre’s plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered.»
«Because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.»
NEW CANADIAN PM BLASTS TRUMP’S 51ST STATE IDEA: ‘CRAZY’
FILE – Mark Carney, who has served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference, Nov. 28, 2024. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Having served as governor of two central banks – of Canada and the United Kingdom – he was also a senior executive at Goldman Sachs and served as the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance. Never elected to any office before, Carney was sworn in on Friday to become Canada’s 24th prime minister.
He is expected to call an election this week in a bid to keep the Liberals in power, and for him, to win a seat in the House of Commons.
Count on the official opposition Conservatives, in a dead heat with the Liberals at 37% according to a recent Leger poll, to portray Carney as someone «not connected to the common man» and who has spent a fair amount of time outside Canada, Laura Kurkimaki told Fox News Digital. Kurkimaki served as deputy national campaign manager for the Conservative Party during the last federal election in 2021.
«Over the last five years, while Canadians have been lining up at foodbanks and experiencing a significant cost-of-living increase, he has not been in Canada,» Kurkimaki said.
Seen by detractors as out of touch, Carney, during a recent leadership debate, did not provide an answer when the moderator asked the candidates whether they knew the average cost of a week’s worth of groceries.
In an appearance on «The Rest is Politics» podcast last month featuring Alastair Campbell, former British prime minister Tony Blair’s press secretary, and past Goldman Sachs executive Anthony Scaramucci, Carney said that his «weakness is people will charge me as being elitist or globalist.»
MARK CARNEY WINS LIBERAL PARTY NOMINATION TO REPLACE TRUDEAU AS CANADA’S NEXT PM
Mark Carney, then the vice chair and head of transition investing for Brookfield Asset Management Inc., speaks during the United Nations Climate Action: Race to Zero and Resilience Forum in New York, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Well, that happens to be exactly what we need,» he said, adding that he’s also «a pragmatist» and «a leader in crisis.»
When Scaramucci asked Carney how he would respond to attacks that he is «out of touch with the mainstream, common citizen in Canada,» the new prime minister said that most of his life in Canada «has been in service of Canadians.»
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also targeted Carney, who played hockey at Harvard and Oxford, after he was photographed playing goalie reportedly wearing high-end sneakers.
Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, speaks during a ‘Spike the Hike – Axe the Tax’ rally in Edmonton, on March 27, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. On April 1st, fuel prices will rise due to the Federal Carbon Tax increase. Canadians anticipate paying more for gasoline, diesel, and propane starting April 1st. All provincial premiers are concerned about the impact on those already grappling with the cost of living. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
«Trying to be a normal guy playing hockey in $2000 shoes,» Poilievre posted on X.
Kurkimaki said the upcoming federal election campaign with Carney at the Liberal helm could be a replay of the one in 2011 when another «out-of-touch» Liberal leader – historian Michael Ignatieff, who came from the world of academia – lost his House seat, and his party recorded its worst-ever result in a general election that the Conservatives won.
Canada’s new prime minister earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard University and went on to receive master’s and doctoral degrees in economics at the University of Oxford.
WHO IS PIERRE POILIEVRE? CANADA’S CONSERVATIVE LEADER SEEKING TO BECOME NEXT PRIME MINISTER AFTER TRUDEAU EXIT
Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, officially announced his bid for the federal Liberal Party leadership at Laurier Heights Community League in Edmonton, Canada, on January 16, 2025. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Carney, who lived in the tony Ottawa neighborhood of Rockcliffe Park before becoming prime minister, also holds British and Irish citizenship. Earlier this month, he said that he had begun the process of renouncing both.
Along the way, the man whose looks were once compared to those of actor George Clooney made a fortune at England’s central bank alone. Carney earned $1.3 million, including pay, allowances and housing costs – the highest for the head of any federal reserve at the time.
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However, his current net worth might not be revealed any time soon. Before becoming prime minister, Carney divested his assets, «other than his personal real estate, into a blind trust,» a member of his team told CBC News. Under Canadian law, public-office holders need to divest their assets, such as stock options, either by selling them or having a trustee manage or sell them without, in this case, consulting Carney.
Carney’s spokesperson did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Hamas says American-Israeli hostage will only be freed if ceasefire is implemented
The Hamas terrorist group said Saturday that it will only release Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander if Israel implements the existing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
Alexander, 21, is the last living American hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
A senior Hamas official told the Associated Press that long-delayed talks over the ceasefire’s second phase would need to begin the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days. Israel would also need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Hamas called it an «exceptional deal» aimed at getting the truce back on track, per the official, who spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.
A woman holds an image of hostage Edan Alexander during the Global Day of Unity and Prayer with Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of those taken captive by Palestinian Hamas militants during the October 7 attack. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL
Hamas is also demanding the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, the official said.
Hamas on Friday agreed to release Alexander along with the bodies of four other hostages following a deal offered by mediators. He has now been held captive for 526 days as of Saturday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
It comes as talks are ongoing in Qatar to establish the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the first phase of which ended on March 1.
The office of Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, and the National Security Council said in a joint statement that «President Trump has made it clear that Hamas will either release hostages immediately, or pay a severe price.»
Witkoff and Eric Trager, National Security Council senior director for the Middle East and North Africa, presented a ‘bridge’ proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover and allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene his ministerial team on Saturday to receive a detailed report from negotiators and decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.
President Donald Trump is seen posing with a photo of Edan Alexander on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, a number of rallies are expected to take place throughout Israel on Saturday to demand that all remaining 59 hostages are released, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. The main rallies will take place in Tel Aviv, Sha’ar HaNegev Junction, Carmei Gat and Jerusalem.
Though he spent most of his life in New Jersey, Alexander was born in Israel a few months before his parents moved to the U.S., according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
After graduating from high school, Alexander decided he would enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rather than enroll in college.
On Oct. 7, Alexander, who was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, an infantry unit, was patrolling near Gaza when Hamas’ attacks on Israel began. The attacks ended with 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 hostages taken, including Alexander.
Hamas terrorists take up positions ahead of a hostage release in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP)
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Yael Alexander, Edan’s mother, recounted the day he was taken hostage in a recent interview with AJC’s «People of the Pod.» Yael was in Israel in early October 2023, visiting her family and hoping to see Edan. On the morning of Oct. 7, she spoke with Edan, who said that he was seeing «terrible stuff,» but he assured her that he was safe. Then he was taken hostage.
On Nov. 30, 2024, more than a year after Alexander was captured, Hamas released a video of Alexander speaking in Hebrew and Arabic. Alexander, like other hostages forced to make propaganda videos, delivered messages about Netanyahu and then-President-elect Donald Trump.
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Trey Yingst, Rachel Wolf and Stephen Sorace, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
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