Spain Prime Minister Vows To Strip Officials Of Judicial Privileges

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed Monday to reform the constitution to end judicial privileges enjoyed by politicians, judges, royals and other top officials which can shield them from corruption charges.

Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2018 ) :Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed Monday to reform the constitution to end judicial privileges enjoyed by politicians, judges, royals and other top officials which can shield them from corruption charges.

The Socialist prime minister said the measure was needed "to restore people's confidence in politics" in a country which has been rocked by a string of corruption scandals in recent years.

Sanchez announced the measure which will make it easier for politicians to be prosecuted at a Madrid event marking 100 days since he toppled his conservative Popular Party predecessor in a no confidence vote amid a long-running graft scandal.

Under a system of judicial privileges known as "aforamiento," Spain's lawmakers and other top officials benefit from a system of judicial privileges meant to protect them from spurious attacks and which means they can only be tried by Spain's Supreme Court, the country's top court.

Spain's 1978 constitution originally granted the privileges to the prime minister and a handful of other top officials but it had been extended over the years to include judges, public prosecutors, police and others.