Former minister subpoenaed to testify before Supreme Court

Former Public Works Minister José Blanco was subpoenaed to testify on January 26 before a Supreme Court justice who is investigating whether the ex-Socialist Cabinet official received money from a Galician businessman in exchange for his help to speed up the granting of permits.

Justice José Ramón Soriano, who is handling the so-called Operation Champion case, subpoenaed Blanco on January 5 " to testify voluntarily" in the case, Socialist sources said.

Jorge Dorribo said he paid Blanco 400,000 euros to secure a public subsidy and speed up the process of obtaining the necessary permits for his company, Laboratorios Nupel. Fifteen people have been arrested in the inquiry, including Dorribo himself.