Rajoy denies corruption allegations in Spanish parliament

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday denied any involvement in the Barcenas corruption scandal which is rocking his conservative government Addressing the first session of the Spanish congress after a recess, Rajoy was forced to speak about the Barcenas case in which he and high-ranking members of his ruling Popular Party (PP) are accused of receiving illegal cash payments from the accounts of former party treasurer Luis Barcenas. Barcenas is in preventive custody after being found to have had over 40 million euros (53 million U.S. dollars) in bank accounts in Switzerland. Rajoy and the PP have categorically denied the allegations. the scandal has refused to go away over the summer, during which many PP members, such as the party's general secretary Maria Dolores de Cospedal have given declarations to the judge investigating the case. Corruption reports have angered many in Spain where the government has pushed unpopular spending cuts.