If confirmed, I will work with the United States Department of the Treasury and the Governments of Andorra and Spain to ensure that actions are carried out in a fair, transparent, and consistent manner.” The author of these words is Benjamin Leon, the new United States ambassador to Spain and Andorra, and the translation of the diplomatic language is that his country is upset with the way the authorities of both countries acted in 2015 to liquidate Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA) and that in his new post he will investigate what exactly happened.

As expected, Mariano Rajoy has denied the main accusations made by former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas about his knowledge of an illegal slush fund within the party or about a supposed operation orchestrated by the Popular Party, the Government, or the Police to steal data that could criminally affect him. In fact, for the former president of the government, there was no illegal operation.

Former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has pointed out “absurd conjectures” in the reports of the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police sent to judge José Luis Calama, where it is stated that the socialist leader headed the “apex” of an influence network, and has attributed the accusations to his support for Pedro Sánchez in the 23-J electoral campaign.

The spokesperson for Izquierda Unida, Enrique Santiago, stated this Thursday that he “has no doubt” that the United States “could have a political interest” in causing “a political crisis in the Government of Spain” and also “to punish those who may have worked to evade the illegal sanctions unilaterally imposed by the United States on Venezuela” for their collaboration in the investigation against the former president of the government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for, among other crimes, influence peddling in the case of the bailout of the airline Plus Ultra.