Spain's ruling party bans members from paying for sex after corruption scandal
Sanchez, 53, is facing the biggest crisis of his seven years in power. That was heightened on Monday by the detention of a former top official in his Socialist party, Santos Cerdan, in an investigation involving allegations of corruption and hiring sex workers.
In a bid to right the ship, the Socialist party announced that 'soliciting, accepting or obtaining sexual acts in exchange for money' was now banned for party members, punishable by 'the maximum sanction, expulsion from the party'.
'If we believe a woman's body is not for sale, our party cannot allow behaviour contrary to that,' Sanchez said.
'These are difficult times for everyone, without a doubt,' he told party leaders at a meeting in Madrid, once again apologising for trusting those caught up in the growing scandal.
But he also reiterated his refusal to step down.
'The captain doesn't look the other way when seas get rough. He stays to steer the ship through the storm,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Cannabis scandal clouds Philippine Senate's ‘bad boy' Robin Padilla: ‘not fit to be in'
In the Philippines , politics can often feel like theatre. But few senators embody the blurring of screen and state as fully as Robinhood Ferdinand Carino Padilla, an ex-action star whose time in office has been marked by spectacle, scandal and slapstick. The 55-year-old, once nicknamed Philippine cinema's 'bad boy', swept into the Senate in the 2022 elections despite a past conviction for illegal firearms. While his rise was improbable, his tenure has often felt surreal. Padilla's time in public office has unfolded much like the plots of the films that made him famous: chaotic, dramatic and at times absurd. The latest drama began to unfold on Tuesday last week, when a member of Senate staff reported a smell 'resembling' marijuana drifting from a bathroom in the upper chamber. The only person seen nearby was Padilla's political officer, former actress Nadia Montenegro. A photo showing Nadia Montenegro with Robin Padilla in the Philippine Senate before her resignation on Monday amid a cannabis scandal. Photo: Facebook/officialnadiam Montenegro denied smoking cannabis but admitted she had been carrying a vape device that might have produced the odour. Her office placed her on leave the following day. On Monday, she resigned, insisting the move was not an admission of guilt.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
The big shift in ethnic affairs exposed by China's corruption crackdown
First came the investigation in January into Qizhala, the ethnic Tibetan former chairman of the Tibet autonomous region. Then in May, it was the turn of Lan Tianli, the ethnic Zhuang chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. In July, just as Qizhala was being expelled from the Communist Party, Liu Hui, the ethnic Hui former chairwoman of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, came under investigation for alleged corruption. The three cadres are among just a handful of senior officials from ethnic community groups to have fallen from grace in China in the past few decades. Observers say that the downfall of the officials reflects a broader push for political discipline, signalling that ethnicity-based leniency in elite politics no longer applies. Liu Hui, former chairwoman of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, came under investigation in July. Photo: CCTV Unlike provinces, which have governors, autonomous regions are overseen by chairmen or chairwomen. The positions are second only to the party chief of the region and have generally been set aside for people from non-Han communities as part of efforts to promote ethnic inclusion. The overwhelming majority of regional party secretaries have been Han.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong government faces scrutiny over bottled water procurement scandal
Lawmakers have called for a comprehensive review of the authorities' procurement process following allegations that a company supplied infringing mainland Chinese-branded bottled water to government offices, prompting a police investigation. The Post also found that the directors of the company involved, Xin Ding Xin Trade, were linked to unpaid loans of HK$8 million (US$1.1 million) via another firm, just one day after its HK$52.9 million contract with the Government Logistics Department was partially terminated. This contract involved delivering 1.88 million bottles of drinking water to government offices. The scandal emerged after police said they were investigating suspected illegal activities by the company, following government statements that it was no longer confident in the company's ability to fulfil the contract based on recent operational information received. In June, Xin Ding Xin secured a 36-month contract to supply 'XinLe' bottled water to government offices on Hong Kong Island and the outlying islands. The company claimed the water would be manufactured by Robust (Guangdong) Drinking Water's Guangzhou branch. However, Robust's legal director in Guangdong accused Xin Ding Xin of listing them as one of the manufacturers on the labels of its XinLe bottled water without authorisation. He told local media that the company had reported the matter to Hong Kong authorities and was considering administrative complaints, civil lawsuits or criminal proceedings. The Post on Sunday contacted Robust's customer service on WeChat, where an operator confirmed that Xin Ding Xin is not a product of the company.
