MARIANO RAJOY

A top Spanish court has given a 2-year prison term to the former treasurer of Spain’s powerful conservative party for using a slush fund to pay for the renovation of the party’s headquarters in Madrid.

Spain's main conservative opposition Popular Party has taken its poor results in the February 2021 Catalan regional elections as a signal to make changes, starting with a decision to quit the party's long-time central Madrid headquarters in a symbolic break with past corruption cases. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas, File)MADRID – Poor results in Catalan regional elections over the weekend has spurred Spain’s main conservative opposition Popular Party to revamp itself, starting with a decision to quit the party’s long-time central Madrid headquarters in a symbolic break with past corruption cases. He was speaking after the party registered its worst result in Sunday's Catalan regional elections, winning just three seats in the 135-seat Barcelona-based parliament. The party also found itself being overtaken by the far-right Vox group, which has made substantial inroads into the Popular Party’s support in recent years. Casado said the party would as of now refrain from offering explanations for the past actions of people who are no longer party members.

Former Popular Party treasurer Luis Barcenas, sits in the National Court in San Fernando de Henares, just outside of Madrid, Spain, Monday Feb. 8, 2021. A court in Spain has begun a high-stakes trial that has brought back the attention on the illegal funding scheme that has been hunting Spain's Popular Party, in a case that casts a long shadow on the country's polarized politics. (Ballesteros, Pool Photo via AP)MADRID – A high-stakes trial beginning Monday is bringing back a spotlight on the illegal kickbacks scheme that for years has haunted Spain's Popular Party, casting a long shadow on the country's main conservative party despite its pledges of regeneration. The case is the latest in a legal saga that began when allegations of the party's decades-long shadowy accounting first emerged in 2013. The Popular Party, or PP, which has been a dominating presence during Spain's past four decades of democracy, has already paid a high political price for corruption scandals by its members or elected officials.

From U.S. President Donald Trump to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, global decision-makers have frequently set bad examples, whether it's refusing to wear masks or breaking confinement rules aimed at protecting their citizens from COVID-19. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said normally she would fire Clark but that the country couldnt afford massive disruption in its health sector while it was fighting the virus. He and others didnt wear masks during those meetings, and Putin also didnt cover his face for events marking Nazi Germanys defeat in World War II. The prime minister has respected all guidelines, according to a statement read by a spokesman. And as such the prime minister was with her during her last night."