01/08/2013 18:57
Spain PM refuses to resign
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy admitted Thursday he made a mistake in trusting a party colleague at the centre of a major corruption scandal but rejected repeated calls to resign, AFP reported.
Rajoy, 58, came out fighting in parliament, pouring scorn on calls for him to step down over allegations surrounding his ruling Popular Party's disgraced former treasurer, Luis Barcenas.
"I made a mistake in maintaining confidence in someone who we now know did not deserve it. He fooled me," said Rajoy, who for months had resisted even pronouncing Barcenas' name in public.
The grey-bearded prime minister said he was appearing before the special session of parliament to "refute the lies, manipulations and malicious insinuations encouraged by certain political leaders."
He said his conservative Popular Party did pay its officials extra money in addition to their salaries for "work done." But he denied receiving illegal payments from the party and said he paid taxes on all income.
Opposition leaders took turns to lay into Rajoy in response, reiterating their calls for him to resign, with some demanding snap elections, but he remained defiant throughout the five-hour session.
"I reply to you very clearly and directly: no... I am not going to resign, nor am I going to call legislative elections," he said.
"I am not going to declare myself guilty, because I am not."