Spain's Socialist opposition is challenging Mariano Rajoy's government by filing for a vote of no confidence after judges ruled that the governing Popular Party profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme.

A party spokeswoman who wasn't authorized to be named in media reports confirmed the decision on Friday, one day after the National Court convicted 29 businesspeople and PP officials for fraud, tax evasion and money laundering, among other crimes.

The judges issued prison sentences totaling 351 years and fined the conservative PP 245,000 euros (US$ 287,000).

The Socialists' challenge will push the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party, which has until now supported the prime minister's minority government in parliament, to make a decision whether to back the vote. The anti-establishment Podemos party has already said it will vote to sack Rajoy. </s> Spain’s Socialist opposition is challenging Mariano Rajoy’s government by filing for a vote of no confidence after judges ruled that the governing Popular Party profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme.

A party spokeswoman who wasn’t authorized to be named in media reports confirmed the decision on Friday, one day after the National Court convicted 29 businesspeople and PP officials for fraud, tax evasion and money laundering, among other crimes.

The judges issued prison sentences totaling 351 years and fined the conservative PP 245,000 euros (US$ 287,000).

The Socialists’ challenge will push the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party, which has until now supported the prime minister’s minority government in parliament, to make a decision whether to back the vote. The anti-establishment Podemos party has already said it will vote to sack Rajoy. </s> 'Spain’s biggest opposition party, the Socialists, filed a no-confidence motion on Friday against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after his conservative Popular Party was found guilty of benefiting from illegal funds in a mega graft trial.

The motion was filed in Spain's 350-seat lower house of parliament, a Socialist party spokesman told AFP just as Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez began an emergency meeting of the party's federal committee to discuss the parliamentary vote seeking Rajoy's ouster.

To succeed, it will need the support of an absolute majority of 176 lawmakers, a difficult task as opposition parties are deeply divided.

While far-left party Podemos has already called for a no-confidence vote, the motion will need the unlikely support of centrist party Ciudadanos, Rajoy's allies in parliament, or that of several tiny regional parties, including Catalan separatist parties.

Sanchez has in recent months clashed with the Catalan separatist parties over their independence push which has violated Spain's constitution.

In Spain's deeply fragmented parliament, the Socialists and Podemos do not have the votes on their own to defeat Rajoy, whose Popular Party (PP) lost its absolute majority in parlaiment over two years ago.

Spain's National Court said Thursday it had uncovered a vast system of bribes given to former Popular Party (PP) officials in exchange for lucrative public contracts between 1999 and 2005 in various regions including Madrid.

The court sentenced 29 people in jail for a total of 351 years for corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the so-called Gurtel trial, named after the code name of the police investigation.

The PP itself was not on trial for direct involvement in the scheme but was found to have benefited from funds obtained illegally.

It is the first time that a ruling party in Spain has been found guilty in court, and the PP was ordered to pay back 245,000 euros ($290,000).

"Devastating sentence," headlined Catalan daily newspaper El Periodico on Friday while top-selling daily El Pais said in an editorial that "there is no precedent in democratic Spain for such a blow".

The court ruling "badly affects the credibility of a party that has ruled this country between 1996 and 2004 and again from 2011."

The case was just one of many graft scandals to have hit the PP over the years, in a country where corruption cases are widespread.

The graft scandals have taken their toll on the PP.

The party has 24 percent support according to a poll by Sociological Research Center (CIS) published earlier this month, down from 33 percent at the last genral election in June 2016, giving it just a slim lead over Ciudadanos in first place. </s> MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will face a vote of no confidence after courts ruled that the governing Popular Party profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme, the Socialist opposition announced Friday.

 A spokeswoman said the PSOE party had filed for the vote in parliament one day after the country’s National Court convicted 29 businesspeople and former PP officials for fraud, tax evasion and money laundering among other crimes.

 The challenge puts Rajoy’s future on the ropes, but Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez will need to convince other opposition parties to back his 84 votes in the 350-seat national congress in order to sack the conservatives from the government.

 The anti-establishment Podemos party, with 67 seats, has already announced that it would vote to sack Rajoy. But with its challenge, PSOE is also pushing the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party to decide whether to back or not the vote, which needs at least 175 votes to succeed.

 Ciudadanos has until now supported the prime minister’s minority government in parliament, but the criticism of its leader Albert Rivera has increased in step with his party’s newfound popularity in recent polls.

 Friday’s move comes after a roller-coaster ride this week for Rajoy’s PP, whose win on Wednesday of a key approval for the 2018 national budget had secured, in theory, enough breathing space for him to survive until the end of the term, in 2020.

 But the setback came less than 24 hours later in the form of a 1,687-page ruling on the so-called Gurtel case, considered one of the gravest corruption episodes in Spain’s modern history.

 The judges issued prison sentences totaling 351 years and a 245,000-euro fine (US$ 287,000) for the conservative party in power, which the ruling describes as a “profit-seeking participant” in the scheme.

 The verdict also considered that a network involving companies and party officials was established to arrange travel and organize events for PP in exchange for public contracts.

 In some of the most damaging parts of the ruling, the judges also said that PP ran a slush fund at least until 2008 and questioned the credibility of Rajoy when he denied knowing that the scheme was in place during a court hearing where the prime minister testified as a witness.

 The convictions immediately triggered turmoil for the embattled government of the 63-year-old prime minister, who is combating separatist defiance in Catalonia and has for years defended his party against dozens of corruption allegations.

 The ruling party has said it will appeal the part of the verdict that found it was a profit-seeking participant in the scheme. Rajoy has not made public comments since the court decision but the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Thursday that nobody in the current administration or in the party’s leadership was aware of any illicit practice. </s> MADRID -- Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will face a vote of no confidence after courts ruled that the governing Popular Party profited from a large kickbacks-for-contracts scheme, the Socialist opposition announced Friday.

A spokeswoman said the PSOE party had filed for the vote in parliament one day after the country's National Court convicted 29 businesspeople and former PP officials for fraud, tax evasion and money laundering among other crimes.

The challenge puts Rajoy's future on the ropes, but Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez will need to convince other opposition parties to back his 84 votes in the 350-seat national congress in order to sack the conservatives from the government.

The anti-establishment Podemos party, with 67 seats, has already announced that it would vote to sack Rajoy. But with its challenge, PSOE is also pushing the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens) party to decide whether to back or not the vote, which needs at least 175 votes to succeed.

Ciudadanos has until now supported the prime minister's minority government in parliament, but the criticism of its leader Albert Rivera has increased in step with his party's newfound popularity in recent polls.

Friday's move comes after a roller-coaster ride this week for Rajoy's PP, whose win on Wednesday of a key approval for the 2018 national budget had secured, in theory, enough breathing space for him to survive until the end of the term, in 2020.

But the setback came less than 24 hours later in the form of a 1,687-page ruling on the so-called Gurtel case, considered one of the gravest corruption episodes in Spain's modern history.

The judges issued prison sentences totalling 351 years and a 245,000-euro fine (US$ 287,000) for the conservative party in power, which the ruling describes as a "profit-seeking participant" in the scheme.

The verdict also considered that a network involving companies and party officials was established to arrange travel and organize events for PP in exchange for public contracts.

In some of the most damaging parts of the ruling, the judges also said that PP ran a slush fund at least until 2008 and questioned the credibility of Rajoy when he denied knowing that the scheme was in place during a court hearing where the prime minister testified as a witness.

The convictions immediately triggered turmoil for the embattled government of the 63-year-old prime minister, who is combating separatist defiance in Catalonia and has for years defended his party against dozens of corruption allegations.

The ruling party has said it will appeal the part of the verdict that found it was a profit-seeking participant in the scheme. Rajoy has not made public comments since the court decision but the prime minister's office said in a statement on Thursday that nobody in the current administration or in the party's leadership was aware of any illicit practice.
The People's Party, the ruling party in the Government, is condemned as participant in a lucrative way directly.