January 22-2016
Spain’s brand new, far-left Podemos Party is being questioned about allegations that it has been funded by Iran.
Podemos is like several other parties that have cropped up in Europe in opposition to tight and unpopular economic policies designed to get their countries out of deep economic recession.
The Popular Party’s spokesman in parliament, Rafael Hernando, said if Iran has really funded Podemos, “We are facing one of the biggest cases of corruption in recent years.”
The leader of new center-right party Ciudadanos, Albert Rivera, also chimed in, saying Podemos founder Pablo Iglesias “must give explanations.”
Conservative daily newspaper ABC and online news site El Confidencial reported that police were probing payments allegedly made to Iglesias for his work presenting “Fort Apache,” a program broadcast by Iran’s HispanTV, the Spanish language outlet of Iranian state broadcasting.
El Confidencial said the US Drug Enforcement Administration had information provided by a former top Venezuelan government official regarding “an agreement between Iran and Venezuela to finance Podemos.”
Police are looking into the revenues of a media company, Global Media, which is charged with producing programs for HispanTV, according to the reports.
So far the allegations are only based on an unconfirmed police report that has not led to any formal court investigation.
The company received 9.3 million euros ($10.1 million) from the Iranian government between 2012 and 2015, via a number of other firms, “to avoid the embargoes imposed on Iran,” ABC reported.
Global Media deposited 93,000 euros ($100,000) between 2013 and 2015 into a bank account belonging to Iglesias, the newspaper added.
Police are investigating whether this money was used to illegally finance Podemos, which Iglesias founded just two years ago, the paper said.
After inconclusive elections last month, Spain is trying to form a government.