SPAIN: FORMER CIVIL GUARD CHIEF SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS IN PRISON скачать в хорошем качестве

SPAIN: FORMER CIVIL GUARD CHIEF SENTENCED TO 28 YEARS IN PRISON

(26 Feb 1998) Natural Sound A Madrid court has sentenced the former head of the Spanish Civil Guard to 28 years in prison. Luis Roldan was found guilty on Thursday of corruption during his term as Civil Guard Chief from 1986 to 1993. Roldan and his wife and another defendant were accused of embezzling millions of government funds. According to court officials, Luis Roldan was found guilty of defrauding hundreds of millions of pesetas ((m)millions of dollars) by abusing government funds. A total of seven defendants, including Roldan and his wife, were charged but five of those were acquitted by the Madrid provincial court. In a series of damaging corruption scandals to hit the Socialist Party, Roldan's case has been the most damaging to the party and its former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez. The scandal was a major factor in bringing down the former Socialist administration in the 1996 election. In April 1994, while still under investigation by a parliamentary commission, Roldan disappeared before he could be formally charged. He was in hiding for ten months before being tracked down in Laos and escorted back to Madrid by Spanish Police. Roldan adamantly denied the allegations that he built a personal fortune, estimated at 40 (m)million U-S dollars. He said he was ordered by the interior ministry to put money in Swiss bank accounts under his own name other members of his family. Roldan claimed that the interior ministry wanted to pad Socialist party coffers. In May 1996, Roldan testified in the Supreme Court claiming that Gonzalez was fully aware of the 1980s murder, kidnapping and torture that the Socialist government waged against radical Basque separatists. The former prime minister has vehemently denied any knowledge of the alleged killings by his government. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...