But in July it was revealed that although her profile in the Spanish parliament’s website said she held a “dual degree in Law and Public Administration,” she held no degree whatsoever. Journalists also discovered that her profile at Guatemala’s Francisco Marroquín University, where N´úñez taught a Political Science course, falsely claimed that she also held a degree in English Philology.
News of the politician’s fake CV credentials came at an awkward moment for the PP. Since last May, when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was forced to publicly apologize for the corruption within his Socialist Party, the leading center-right political force has pitched itself as a “clean” group that Spaniards can trust.
After meeting with opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Núñez announced her resignation. Shortly thereafter, her party ordered its officials to review their CVs to make sure no other falsehoods would be uncovered.
Dummy degrees
But less than a week later, another set of fake credentials was uncovered. This time, however, they belonged to Socialist Party official José María Ángel Batalla, whom the national government had tasked with overseeing reconstruction efforts following last year’s deadly floods in Valencia.
Batalla claimed to hold a degree in Archival Science and Library Science from the University of Valencia issued in 1983 — a remarkable feat given the university in question did not teach that subject until 1990.
The discovery of the falsehood has not only prompted the official’s resignation, but it could potentially land him in serious legal trouble. Because Batalla used the fake degree to successfully apply to join Spain’s public service in the early 1980s, he could be prosecuted for defrauding the state for more than 40 years.