Law is the same for everyone', says government as Urdangarín released without bail and Rato and Blesa given 'lenient' sentences
Friday, February 24, 2017 @ 6:32 PM
SPAIN'S government has insisted that 'the law is the same for everyone' in the face of public outrage over the apparently lenient sentences faced by bank bosses and politicians in the 'Black Cards' scandal and former Duke of Palma Iñaki Urdangarín's being released without bail.
Ex-directors of the now-defunct CAM bank, who include Rodrigo Rato (pictured) - former International Monetary Fund (FMI) chair and economy minister under one-time president José María Aznar – and Bankia chairman Miguel Blesa, have been sentenced to four-and-a-half and six years in jail respectively for multi-million tax evasion.
Key management figures and directors of the CAM had been using their company credit cards for personal and leisure expenses – including holidays, alcohol and meals out – meaning these costs were automatically offset against their income tax.
In the meantime, King Felipe's brother-in-law Iñaki Urdangarín and his co-director in the Nóos Institute, Diego Torres, have been sentenced to six and eight years respectively for public fund embezzlement – but released without bail.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com