At the National Court in Madrid, former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy testified in the ‘Kitchen’ case, related to an alleged illegal operation against the former treasurer of the People’s Party, Luis Bárcenas. For half an hour, Rajoy answered questions from the court, categorically denying any involvement in organizing or coordinating actions aimed at seizing compromising materials from Bárcenas. According to him, the matter concerned solely legitimate police work and not a political operation.
Rajoy’s Position
During questioning, Rajoy emphasized that neither he, nor the Minister of the Interior, nor the Secretary of State participated in police operations. He stated he was confident in the legality of police actions and was not informed about the details of the investigation. When directly questioned about possible destruction of documents or attempts to conceal evidence, the former prime minister gave an unequivocal denial. Specifically, he rejected Bárcenas’s claims that he personally destroyed documents regarding the party’s ‘slush fund’ in his presence.
Details of the Interrogation
The prosecution’s lawyer inquired whether Rajoy had been mentioned under any pseudonyms in the case documents, and whether he had discussed the consequences of the investigation with Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz. Rajoy allowed that he might have discussed the situation with colleagues, but insisted that no decisions were made to conceal information. He also noted that his relationship with Bárcenas was strictly professional and did not go beyond official duties.
Case background
The ‘Kitchen’ case is related to suspicions that, in 2013, high-ranking officials of the Ministry of the Interior organized an operation to seize materials from Bárcenas that could damage the People’s Party. According to investigators, the aim was to protect the party from the fallout of publishing information on ‘off-the-books accounting’. Bárcenas himself had previously claimed to possess audio recordings that could compromise the party leadership, however Rajoy stated he was not afraid of possible revelations, as in his view, if such materials existed, they would have already been made public.
Reaction and parallels
Rajoy’s testimony came amid ongoing court proceedings on corruption cases linked to the People’s Party. Attention on the issue intensified after hearings had previously taken place in Madrid on other high-profile cases involving party financing, which were covered in detail in the report on the court hearing in the Granados case. In both cases, the focus is on the transparency of party finances and possible pressure on the investigation.
The trial in the ‘Kitchen’ case is ongoing. New testimony and possible rulings regarding charges against former high-ranking Interior Ministry officials are expected in the coming weeks.
