Mariano Rajoy: "I will submit myself to investigation"
Spain's prime minister says he will not give in to "blackmail", amid calls for him to resign over alleged links to a suspect in a payments scandal.
Mariano Rajoy said he would fulfil the mandate given by the Spanish people.
The calls came after a newspaper published text messages he allegedly sent to the suspect, Luis Barcenas, ex-treasurer of his Popular Party (PP).
Meanwhile Mr Barcenas repeated in court allegations that Mr Rajoy received payments from a slush fund.
He said Mr Rajoy secretly received money between 2008 and 2010.
An El Mundo report on Monday said Mr Rajoy had sent words of support to Mr Barcenas, who is in custody facing trial for corruption and tax fraud. He denies the allegations.
Mr Rajoy, too, denies any wrongdoing.
"The rule of law does not bow to blackmail and the institutions, the administrations of justice, the judicial police and tax administrations have acted and are acting and will continue to act with absolute independence," he said at a news conference.
"I insist that this is a serious democracy and .. and I will submit myself to investigation."
A series of newspaper allegations that Mr Rajoy and other top politicians received illicit payments has enraged a country in the depths of recession and record unemployment.
It is claimed that Mr Barcenas ran a PP slush fund that took donations from construction magnates and distributed them to party leaders in cash.
Source: BBC News - Business http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23318473#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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