Gürtel ringleaders could stand trial alongside Camps

Judges at Madrid's Superior Court of Justice have agreed to let their colleagues in Valencia decide whether the three top ringleaders in a major bribes-for-contracts network should be put on trial together with the Valencian premier, Francisco Camps, in connection with the expensive gifts the latter is accused of accepting from the ring.

The Gürtel case is named after its leader, Francisco Correa (whose surname loosely translates as belt, or gürtel in German). After EL PAÍS broke the story in early 2009, there have been dozens of arrests, in many cases of current or former Popular Party (PP) members.

Madrid, Valencia and Galicia are the three regions most affected by Gürtel, which has seen high-ranking party officials try to explain the commissions they received from the ring in exchange for contracts with municipal and regional governments, often for organizing events.

The judge overseeing the case in Madrid believes that Francisco Correa and his two top aides Pablo Crespo and Álvaro Pérez (also known as "El Bigotes") should stand trial with Camps, as they allegedly gave him and his family expensive suits and jewels. But the final decision now lies with Valencian judges.