Spain's PM denies Socialist corruption as 'widespread' as media and opponents claim

A string of corruption investigations into relatives and former top political allies has jeopardised the position of Sánchez, viewed as a global left-wing hero for his clashes with US President Donald Trump and Israel.

The Supreme Court sentenced José Luis Ábalos, an ex-Socialist heavyweight who helped mastermind Sánchez's rise to power in 2018, to 24 years in jail on Monday for pocketing lucrative kickbacks for health equipment contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sánchez, a canny politician famous for escaping seemingly hopeless positions, fended off accusations from the conservative and far-right opposition that systemic corruption had gripped his party.

READ ALSO: Spain's PM vows to press on despite ex-minister's corruption conviction

"Certain actors in politics and the media are trying to mix, to put on the same level and therefore confuse people, to create a sensation of widespread corruption which... does not exist," Sánchez told parliament.

"I never knew about, nor would I have tolerated, any of these practices," he said in reference to his former transport minister Ábalos, denying that the Socialists profited from illegal funding.

"We are not infallible, but we will not make the mistake of staying silent or giving up."

On Saturday, a judge who has led a two-year-long investigation into his wife Begoña Gómez ordered a jury trial for alleged influence peddling and the confiscation of her passport.

Sánchez slammed the politically damaging probe for "precautionary measures that I believe... go beyond all reasonable limits".

A verdict is due in the trial of Sánchez's brother David for alleged irregularities in his appointment to a public-sector job in the southwestern province of Badajoz.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Sánchez's mentor and predecessor as Socialist prime minister, was placed under formal investigation last month for alleged influence peddling in connection with the bailout of an airline.

Sánchez made the fight against corruption his watchword when he took power in 2018 after the main conservative Popular Party was convicted in its own graft affair.

The opposition has demanded Sánchez's resignation and early elections, but the prime minister, one of the few remaining leftist leaders in Europe, insists he will see out his term until 2027.

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo repeated demands for Sánchez's resignation and early elections, saying it was "obvious" the minority coalition lacked parliament's confidence.

Far-right firebrand Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's third-largest party Vox, thundered at Sánchez: "What are you doing sat there still? Do you not have an inkling of shame?"

Article by Robin Bjalon