article_snippet: And the scandal has spread to the scandal other neighbor, Spain, where corruption among public officials is a hot-button political issue.
article_snippet: Banco Madrid caters to wealthy private clients and came under investigation by Spanish financial authorities last year.
article_snippet: Since the scandal broke, the commission that investigates illicit financial activity, Sepblac, has raised questions about accounts held by influential Spanish political and business figures at Banco Madrid.
article_snippet: influential Spanish political and business figures have not been named.
article_snippet: Spanish officials say some 20 suspect operations at the bank are being examined.
article_snippet: Spanish authorities are separately investigating substantial assets held at the Banca Privada d'Andorra by members of the Pujol family, who have long been prominent in the politics of Catalonia, a region of Spain that includes Barcelona.
article_snippet: Spanish prosecutor Jose Grinda Gonzalez told U.S. officials five years ago that these individuals had no known jobs and unknown sources of income, yet these individuals had no known jobs and unknown sources of income lived in large mansions.
article_snippet: Another Spanish prosecutor, Fernando Bermejo, told US officials in 2009 that there was large scale money-laundering going on in Catalonia and
article_snippet: Because of growing international cooperation, Spanish prosecutors have stepped up Spanish prosecutors pursuit of alleged gang leaders, money launderers and embezzlers from Eastern Europe.