Behind the headlines: Why Spain's justice minister is facing calls to resign
Spain's justice minister faced calls to resign on Tuesday after audio recordings emerged of her having lunch nearly a decade ago with a retired police chief under investigation for money laundering.
She was one of the new wave of women that made Pedro Sanchez’s government the ‘most feminist’ Spain had ever had, after the Socialist PM ousted Mariano Rajoy and seized power in June.
READ MORE: This is Spain's new cabinet
Dolores Delgado, 55, forged a successful career as a public prosecutor at Spain’s National Court, taking on high-profile drug cases before specialising in jihadist terrorism in the wake of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
She joined Sanchez’s female-dominated cabinet as Justice Minster, without question that she was the right woman for the job.
Why the fuss?
But Delgado has found herself in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons.
It began last week, when a report in El Confidencial newspaper suggested she had links to José Villarejo, a disgraced former police chief awaiting trial for corruption and money laundering.
The newspaper alleged that he was in the pocket of a Spanish citizen fighting extradition to Guatemala and had approached Delgado, who was then a prosecutor at Spain Audencia Nacional, to help him.
Delgado’s denial was swift. She “did not have any kind of relationship” with the police chief, a statement that was then softened with the explanation that she had “no professional” links to him.
What came next was leaked audio, apparently dating from 2009, that appeared to show Villarejo and Delgado discussing judicial issues interspersed with personal chat and some lewd jokes about colleagues.
Most embarrassing was Delgado appearing to refer to then magistrate, now Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, as a “faggot”.
He made a public show of not caring and was pictured hugging Delgado outside Congress the day after the video went viral.
“You all know that the important thing is not words, it’s deeds,” he said when asked about the incident. “This is a unified government and we always do our best to ensure diversity and equality.”
El abrazo entre Dolores Delgado y Grande-Marlaska: "Lo importante no son las palabras en abstracto, son los hechos" https://t.co/funNVYEvWp Informa @albert_poux pic.twitter.com/UqfKFIDE35
— Cadena SER (@La_SER) September 25, 2018
Delgado herself now admits to having met Villarejo – “maybe three times in the 30 years I was a public prosecutor” – and insists the audio recordings have been manipulated.
"I am sorry if I appear angry. But I am. Because I am not going to allow anyone to question my principles and my honesty," she added.
Calls to resign
Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has led the calls for Delgado’s resignation for her association with a “gutter cop”.
"it is not acceptable that there are ministers who are friends with people like Villarejo," he said in a speech to parliament.
"Anyone who meets in a friendly way with a character of the gutter, of garbage...should stay away from political life," he added.
The conservative Popular Party, who were toppled after the party became embroiled in a series of corruption scandals, are also baying for blood.
"I can't understand how you can still be in your post, where you are doing enormous damage to Spanish justice and enormous damage to our country," said conservative deputy Maria Jesus Bonilla.
"These recordings leave you in a very bad position not just as a person but also as a minister."
Rafael Hernando, labelled the justice minister a “zombie”, saying: “You are guilty, stop filling our democracy with opprobrium and go.”
Support from PM
But support from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been unequivocal. He insisted his government would not accept "blackmail from anybody”.
"The political agenda will not be decided by someone who is crooked," he said, referencing Villarejo, in a statement issued from New York where he was visiting the UN.
He will be very keen to ride out this latest scandal which comes in the wake of two minister resignations since he came to power in June.
Spain's socialist administration has already lost two of its ministers since coming to power in June.
The first to go was Culture and Sports minister Maxim Huerta, who was forced to step down after only a week after it emerged she had been heavily fined for tax offences.
And earlier this month health minister Carmen Monton resigned amid allegations over irregularities in her educational qualifications.
Sanchez himself has had to fend off allegations of plagiarism over his own degree.
The whiff of scandal already looks set to drift away from Delgado and settle instead over yet another minister in the cabinet.
Science minister and former astronaut Pedro Duque was forced on Thursday to defend himself against allegations he avoided taxes.
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She was one of the new wave of women that made Pedro Sanchez’s government the ‘most feminist’ Spain had ever had, after the Socialist PM ousted Mariano Rajoy and seized power in June.
READ MORE: This is Spain's new cabinet
Dolores Delgado, 55, forged a successful career as a public prosecutor at Spain’s National Court, taking on high-profile drug cases before specialising in jihadist terrorism in the wake of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
She joined Sanchez’s female-dominated cabinet as Justice Minster, without question that she was the right woman for the job.
Why the fuss?
But Delgado has found herself in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons.
It began last week, when a report in El Confidencial newspaper suggested she had links to José Villarejo, a disgraced former police chief awaiting trial for corruption and money laundering.
The newspaper alleged that he was in the pocket of a Spanish citizen fighting extradition to Guatemala and had approached Delgado, who was then a prosecutor at Spain Audencia Nacional, to help him.
Delgado’s denial was swift. She “did not have any kind of relationship” with the police chief, a statement that was then softened with the explanation that she had “no professional” links to him.
What came next was leaked audio, apparently dating from 2009, that appeared to show Villarejo and Delgado discussing judicial issues interspersed with personal chat and some lewd jokes about colleagues.
Most embarrassing was Delgado appearing to refer to then magistrate, now Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, as a “faggot”.
He made a public show of not caring and was pictured hugging Delgado outside Congress the day after the video went viral.
“You all know that the important thing is not words, it’s deeds,” he said when asked about the incident. “This is a unified government and we always do our best to ensure diversity and equality.”
El abrazo entre Dolores Delgado y Grande-Marlaska: "Lo importante no son las palabras en abstracto, son los hechos" https://t.co/funNVYEvWp Informa @albert_poux pic.twitter.com/UqfKFIDE35
— Cadena SER (@La_SER) September 25, 2018
Delgado herself now admits to having met Villarejo – “maybe three times in the 30 years I was a public prosecutor” – and insists the audio recordings have been manipulated.
"I am sorry if I appear angry. But I am. Because I am not going to allow anyone to question my principles and my honesty," she added.
Calls to resign
Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has led the calls for Delgado’s resignation for her association with a “gutter cop”.
"it is not acceptable that there are ministers who are friends with people like Villarejo," he said in a speech to parliament.
"Anyone who meets in a friendly way with a character of the gutter, of garbage...should stay away from political life," he added.
The conservative Popular Party, who were toppled after the party became embroiled in a series of corruption scandals, are also baying for blood.
"I can't understand how you can still be in your post, where you are doing enormous damage to Spanish justice and enormous damage to our country," said conservative deputy Maria Jesus Bonilla.
"These recordings leave you in a very bad position not just as a person but also as a minister."
Rafael Hernando, labelled the justice minister a “zombie”, saying: “You are guilty, stop filling our democracy with opprobrium and go.”
Support from PM
But support from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been unequivocal. He insisted his government would not accept "blackmail from anybody”.
"The political agenda will not be decided by someone who is crooked," he said, referencing Villarejo, in a statement issued from New York where he was visiting the UN.
He will be very keen to ride out this latest scandal which comes in the wake of two minister resignations since he came to power in June.
Spain's socialist administration has already lost two of its ministers since coming to power in June.
The first to go was Culture and Sports minister Maxim Huerta, who was forced to step down after only a week after it emerged she had been heavily fined for tax offences.
And earlier this month health minister Carmen Monton resigned amid allegations over irregularities in her educational qualifications.
Sanchez himself has had to fend off allegations of plagiarism over his own degree.
The whiff of scandal already looks set to drift away from Delgado and settle instead over yet another minister in the cabinet.
Science minister and former astronaut Pedro Duque was forced on Thursday to defend himself against allegations he avoided taxes.
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