The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office in Madrid has initiated an investigation into the Vox party, led by Santiago Abascal, over allegations of irregular funding. The probe follows a complaint filed by the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) in December, which alleged that Vox employed opaqueness in its fundraising methods and potentially sourced illegal foreign funds. This information was initially reported by ‘El Independiente’ and later confirmed by legal sources.

The PSOE’s complaint is based on a detailed analysis of Vox’s financing practices, suggesting that the party could be violating Article three hundred and four bis of the Penal Code, which addresses illegal political party financing. Their findings indicate that since two thousand and twenty, Vox has utilised cash boxes and promotional merchandise at their informational stalls across Spain to attract funds in a non-transparent manner.

The PSOE claims that Vox may have raised approximately five million euros through these questionable practices, coupled with a lack of proper accounting for anonymous donations and promotional sales. Additionally, the complaint points to a loan of six million and half euros from the Hungarian bank MBH, connected to a state fund associated with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, arguing that this violates regulations against foreign public financing of political parties.

Vox has admitted to receiving nine million euros from MBH Bank to fund their campaigns for the municipal and general elections in two thousand twenty-three, while alleging that Spanish banks refused to lend them money due to biases against them. The outcome of this investigation could have significant implications for the party moving forward.