Government · Madrid
Pano tells judge Koldo's lawyer offered €250,000 from 'party people' to deny Ferraz cash delivery
Carmen Pano testified that Leticia de la Hoz, lawyer of convicted ex-ministerial aide Koldo García, offered her €250,000 to retract statements about delivering 90,000 euros in cash to the Socialist Party's headquarters. Her driver Álvaro Gallego confirmed the episode.
AI text based on reports by LaVanguardia, RTVE.es, EL MUNDO and other publishers. Published . How it is made
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In brief
Pano states Leticia de la Hoz, Koldo García's lawyer, offered her €250,000 to change her testimony about delivering cash to the PSOE headquarters.
Álvaro Gallego confirmed the attempt and said they considered accepting but ultimately refused.
Pano said De la Hoz told her the money came from PSOE members aiming to help ex-minister Ábalos and Koldo.
Leticia de la Hoz says the meetings were about a business deal, not a bribe, and that she wasn't representing Koldo at the time.
The testimony is part of the Leire case, which investigates whether PSOE figures tried to disrupt cases affecting the party and government.
Carmen Pano, the businesswoman who says she handed over 90,000 euros in two instalments at the PSOE's Ferraz Street offices, appeared this Monday before National Court judge Santiago Pedraz. During 50 minutes of testimony in the so-called Leire case, she insisted that the lawyer of Koldo García tried to buy her silence. Her account aligns with earlier statements made to the Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO).
The bribe offer
Pano described three or four meetings with Leticia de la Hoz, Koldo's legal representative. She said the total sum on the table was €250,000, to be broken down as: 25,000 euros for her daughter Leonor's wedding, monthly rent payments of 2,500–2,800 euros over five to seven years, and 15,000 euros for her driver to buy a car. The objective, she explained, was to have her deny before a court that she had delivered the cash, to blame middleman Víctor de Aldama, and to exonerate former transport minister José Luis Ábalos and Koldo.
- Wedding gift
- 25000 €
- Car purchase
- 15000 €
- Rent payments (5-7 years)
- 210000 €
Data from the article text
According to Pano's account, De la Hoz indicated the money was coming from people within the PSOE.
“The offer came from people in the party.”
Driver confirms
Álvaro Gallego, who drove Pano to the Socialist headquarters on at least one occasion, backed her version. He told the judge that he was offered €15,000 to help change his car, and that he and Pano discussed whether to accept.
“If Leticia de la Hoz and those offering the money had been quicker, maybe we would have accepted.”
The lawyer's denial
Leticia de la Hoz denies any bribery. She maintains that her meetings with Pano were about a business transaction involving a hydrocarbon operator and that WhatsApp messages support her account. She also states that at the time of the alleged bribe, in February 2025, she was not yet defending Koldo.
The broader Leire affair
The investigation led by Judge Pedraz targets an alleged criminal network inside the PSOE that tried to sabotage judicial proceedings affecting the party or the government. Court documents cite former organisation secretary Santos Cerdán and former party activist Leire Díez as central figures. Pano's testimony is one of several being taken this week; other witnesses have denied any link to the plot.
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Sources and context
- LaVanguardiaCarmen Pano asegura que la trama de Leire le ofreció 250.000 euros por su silencio
- RTVE.esCarmen Pano insiste en que la abogada de Koldo trató de sobornala para que negara que había llevado dinero a Ferraz
- EL MUNDOCarmen Pano ratifica ante Pedraz que la abogada de Koldo le ofreció 250.000 euros de "gente del partido" para negar que hubiera llevado fondos a Ferraz
- eldiario.esCarmen Pano confirma lo que dijo ante la UCO: sostiene que la abogada de Koldo García intentó comprarla con 250.000 euros
- Carmen Pano
- Businesswoman who testified to delivering €90,000 in cash to PSOE headquarters; alleges €250,000 bribe offer by Koldo's lawyer.
- Álvaro Gallego
- Driver and associate of Carmen Pano who corroborated the bribe attempt.
- Leticia de la Hoz
- Lawyer for Koldo García, accused of offering the bribe to Carmen Pano.
- Koldo García
- Former advisor to ex-minister José Luis Ábalos, convicted in the masks case.
- José Luis Ábalos
- Former Minister of Transport, convicted alongside Koldo García.
- Santiago Pedraz
- Judge of Spain's National Court investigating the Leire case.
- Víctor de Aldama
- Businessman and alleged middleman in the Koldo case, spared prison after collaborating with justice.
- Santos Cerdán
- Former PSOE organisation secretary, named as suspected leader of the alleged criminal network in the Leire case.
- Leire Díez
- Former PSOE activist described as the 'executive arm' in the alleged plot to sabotage judicial investigations.
- Javier Gómez Bermúdez
- Ex-judge and lawyer for Carmen Pano who advised her not to accept the offer.
- Places
- Madrid
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