A Spanish court on Thursday issued hefty prison sentences for politicians and businesspeople involved in a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme that helped fund the governing party. The National Court's decision is a major blow for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party, fined 245,000 euros (US$ 287,000) because it benefited from the illegal scheme that was in place between 1999 and 2005. The court said it was the first such conviction for a Spanish political party. The case is part of a wider probe looking into allegations that high-ranking PP officials allegedly received illegal bonuses that Barcenas administered. ——This story has been corrected to show that Barcenas was fined 44 million euros, not 4 million.

Source: ABC News May 24, 2018 10:34 UTC