Planas avoids ruling on the initiative of prominent socialists to support the request for pardon for Griñán

MADRID, 4 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, refuses to comment on the support that the request for pardon to the former president of the Andalusian Government, José Antonio Griñán, is receiving, which the family of the former politician plans to present once the Supreme Court makes public the content of the sentence. He alleges that being a member of the Government and eventually having to decide on the aforementioned request, he cannot pronounce himself.

This is what he said in an interview with Europa Press when asked if, if he were not a minister, he would sign that petition for pardon that prominent leaders such as Felipe González, Alfonso Guerra or José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are promoting and supporting.

"As a member of the Government of Spain, in any pardon file, which without a doubt, if it reaches the Ministry of Justice, will be processed in accordance with the corresponding regulations, I am called to decide as part of the Council of Ministers."

Therefore, he has argued: "I cannot comment on the content of this initiative", emphasizing that he is "the person concerned as a member of the Government". "This will be the object at the time and case, of the Council of Ministers", he has riveted.

Thus, he joins another socialist leader, in this case the socialist senator and regional deputy Juan Espadas, who this week also refused to sign the pardon petition. In this case, Swords alleged that the PSOE Code of Ethics prohibits it. "I owe myself to the Code of Ethics," he added.

The PSOE's Code of Ethics prevents the party's public officials from supporting the pardon of those convicted of crimes of corruption. José Antonio Griñán has been sentenced by the court to six years in prison for prevarication and embezzlement of public funds in the plot of the ERE.

"The public officials of the PSOE undertake not to propose or support the pardon of public officials convicted of crimes related to corruption, gender violence, crimes of harassment or discrimination, against sexual freedom and indemnity, torture or against moral integrity, as well such as the commission of acts constituting serious crimes," he points out in article 8.1 of the party's Code of Ethics that has been in force since 2014, collected by Europa Press.

However, the former president of the Board and senator, Susana Díaz, publicly announced her signature on the petition for pardon for her counterpart José Antonio Griñán, promoted by her family. Díaz maintained that "Pepe is an honest, honorable man, there are plenty of arguments to justify the pardon."