In July, it was uncovered that although her profile on the Spanish parliament’s website claimed she held a “dual degree in Law and Public Administration,” she actually had no degree. Journalists found that her profile at Guatemala’s Francisco Marroquín University, where Núñez taught a Political Science course, incorrectly asserted that she had a degree in English Philology.
This revelation of fake CV credentials came at a challenging time for the PP. Since last May, when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had to publicly apologize for his Socialist Party’s corruption, the leading center-right political force had positioned itself as a “clean” party that Spaniards could trust.
After consulting with opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Núñez declared her resignation. Soon after, her party instructed its officials to review their CVs to ensure no other falsehoods were present.
Dummy degrees
Less than a week later, a new set of fake credentials surfaced. This time, however, they involved Socialist Party official José María Ángel Batalla, who the national government had appointed to oversee reconstruction efforts following last year’s deadly floods in Valencia.
Batalla claimed to have a degree in Archival Science and Library Science from the University of Valencia issued in 1983 — a remarkable achievement since the university did not offer that subject until 1990.
The disclosure of this falsehood has led to the official’s resignation and could potentially result in serious legal issues. As Batalla used the fake degree to successfully secure a position in Spain’s public service in the early 1980s, he could face prosecution for defrauding the state for over 40 years.
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