The regional premier of Extremadura, José Antonio Monago (PP), took the opportunity to make a public appearance on Friday to talk about the 32 trips, paid for with public money, which he made to the Canary Islands while a senator.
Monago stated that the large number of journeys he took to the islands in the space of eighteen months between May 2009 and November 2010 were related to his work. The PP spokesman in the Senate said Monago represented the Canary Islands and Andalucia in the Senate at the time of the trips.
However, Monago did not explain what he did on any of those trips, reportedly saying that it was impossible to show his agenda and prove he went to the Canaries on official business.
Speaking at the Extremadura government headquarters, Monago insisted that he always paid for his private travel out of his own pocket.
Spanish deputies and senators have the right to free air and rail travel across Spain without having to justify the nature of their journeys. Senators also get a taxi card with a top annual credit of €3,000 to cover short trips in Madrid.