Protesters call for PP members paid cash-in-hand to resign

OVER 500 people protested in front of the PP headquarters in Madrid yesterday, and at least 200,000 people have signed a petition on www.change.org calling for president Mariano Rajoy and his cabinet to resign over claims that he and other party members received wage top-ups 'off the books' for 11 years.
Police had to cordon off the C/ Génova in the capital and remove 150 people from the entrance to the PP's offices during the massive demonstration which started at 20.00hrs last night.
The State prosecutor has declared publicly that there are 'strong grounds' for 'investigating' the PP's financial affairs after handwritten records by former treasurer and senator Luis Bárcenas were found detailing cash-in-hand payments out of public funds to Rajoy and other top-flight party members.
These include regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, María Dolores del Cospedal, and several of her predecessors.
Rajoy, according to these records uncovered by Spanish national newspaper El País, was getting 25,200 euros a year 'on the black' in addition to his salary between 1997 and 2008.
And the public are calling for all those PP members who received extra money tax-free to stand down.
Bárcenas held accounts with two Swiss banks, the managers of which began to hold 'off the record' conversations with each other after financial transactions carried out caused concern and suspicion, and had him rated as a 'high risk client'.
The ex-senator and treasurer is believed to have 'laundered' 10.9 million euros through Rajoy's tax amnesty, whereby those who had illegally kept money off the books were invited to declare this without fear of reprisal.
But the tax office, the ministry of Hacienda, denies Bárcenas ever took advantage of the taxation amnesty.