Former Spanish minister jailed for corruption

The former president of Spain’s Balearic islands has been jailed for six years for bribing a newspaper columnist to praise him in his articles.

Judges in the capital Palma de Mallorca handed down the verdict against Jaume Matas, who once also served as a cabinet minister under former prime minister Jose Maria Aznar.

The judges said Matas paid nearly €500,000 from 2003-2007 to companies owned by columnist Antonio Alemany, who was also employed as Matas’ speechwriter.

Alemany was convicted of charges including forgery and sentenced to three years.

Matas faces charges in a broader corruption case involving alleged kickbacks paid during the construction of a sports arena in Palma.