Mr González, a Socialist who governed from 1982 until 1996, has long faced questions about the extent of his knowledge of the Anti-Terrorist Freedom Groups (GAL), which operated in the mid-1980s. Closed ranksHowever, Mr Urkullu said he does not expect a parliamentary commission to be created. Despite the calls for an investigation by the Socialist Party’s Basque wing, the Spanish Socialist Party leadership in Madrid has closed ranks with its former leader. “It’s not up to us to go back over things which have already been through the courts and sentenced,” said Adriana Lastra, spokeswoman for the Socialist Party in Congress. Mr González would not comment on the issue when efforts were made by The Irish Times to contact him.

Source: The Irish Times June 21, 2020 15:45 UTC