Criminal code: Spanish government distances itself from reform of misuse of public funds

The Spanish government has distanced itself from suggestions that the crime of misuse of public funds could be reformed in the criminal code via amendments to the proposal to reform sedition that is to be debated in congress. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, spokesperson Isabel Rodríguez, said that the government was supportive of the text as registered in congress by the two governing parties – the Socialists and Podemos – which does not mention reform of misuse of public funds. 

For now, according to Rodríguez, the Spanish government "is not evaluating any other initiative." She has, however, left the door open by saying that the reform of sedition they are proposing is "not incompatible" with further proposals that other parliamentary groups may propose via amendments. 

"Trust the parliamentary process" 

Rodríguez's comments after a cabinet meeting came despite the fact that the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, had – in an interview on Sunday in La Vanguardia – pointed to the possibility of introducing changes on misuse of public funds when criminal code reform is debated in parliament. 

Similarly, on Monday, presidency minister Félix Bolaños, said the executive will "study in depth" proposals from parliamentary groups in order to make the penal code more "reasonable."  

But, asked about a misuse of public funds amendment, Rodríguez stated that for now the change to the criminal code that the government is "supporting" is sedition reform only. 

"We are not assessing any other initiative, and we trust the parliamentary process and all the political groups", she said, but "the government cannot comment on future amendments because we do not know the text of these, if there are any."