Guardia Civil director tells judge she is 'a victim of Cerdán' and denies pressuring the UCO in 'cloacas' case
The director of Spain's Guardia Civil testified as an investigated party in the 'cloacas' case, claiming she was a victim of former PSOE official Santos Cerdán and denying any pressure on the UCO.
González testifies as investigated party
Mercedes González, director general of the Guardia Civil, appeared before judge Santiago Pedraz at the Audiencia Nacional on 17 July 2026. She is investigated for alleged prevarication and obstruction of justice in the so-called 'caso Leire Díez', which examines a plot led by former PSOE organization secretary Santos Cerdán and coordinated by ex-militant Leire Díez to derail judicial cases affecting the party and the government. González told the court she considers herself a victim of that scheme.
I am a victim of Cerdán.
She insisted that had she known Díez was acting on Cerdán's behalf, she would never have met her. The director also denied ever giving orders to the UCO regarding investigations that touched the government or the PSOE.
The meetings with Leire Díez
González acknowledged two encounters with Díez, but rejected a third meeting recorded by the UCO near the Guardia Civil headquarters around Christmas 2024. The first meeting took place in October 2024 and was described as trivial. The second, in April 2025 at a café near her office, turned to the case of commander Rubén Villalba, investigated in the 'caso Koldo'. González said she immediately asked for the bill and ended the meeting. She also explained that a 13-second call to Díez was likely a dialling error, and that her WhatsApp messages with 80 contacts, including Díez, are set to auto-delete after 24 hours.
If I had known she was sent by Cerdán, I would not have met her.
DAO Llamas defends himself and criticizes the UCO
Manuel Llamas, the deputy operational director (DAO), testified the previous day as an investigated party and appeared the same Friday before the Senate's Koldo case commission. He rejected accusations that he pressured the UCO to stay 'low profile' in politically sensitive investigations. Llamas accused some members of the unit of 'excess of protagonism' and 'vanity', calling their proactivity 'toxic'. He stated he has the express support of interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and will not resign.
The minister finds my situation unfair.
The broader obstruction plot
Prosecutors believe internal investigations were used as a pressure mechanism to intimidate UCO agents. The temporal analysis of meetings and intercepted communications coincides with the opening of several internal inquiries affecting officers handling cases close to the PSOE. Llamas admitted that at least one such inquiry was opened after calls from the minister and the director general. González acknowledged that Marlaska called her after a UCO report containing an email from Begoña Gómez surfaced, and that she later spoke with Díez following the publication of messages involving former minister Ábalos and prime minister Sánchez.
- First meeting between Mercedes González and Leire Díez, described as 'insignificant'
- Possible third meeting near Guardia Civil headquarters, denied by González
- Second meeting: Díez asks about rehabilitating commander Rubén Villalba; González ends the meeting
- González exchanges messages with Díez; internal investigation opened
- Minister Marlaska calls González; DAO Llamas opens internal investigation
Political and judicial fallout
The case has opened a crisis within the Guardia Civil. González also denied before the judge that she dictated the 'political instruction' for general Fernando Mora to snub the Madrid regional government on its 2025 holiday, contradicting audio evidence published by ABC. Separately, the Provincial Court of Madrid unanimously decided to send Begoña Gómez to trial for two alleged crimes, partially correcting the investigating judge's scope. The court found sufficient evidence to proceed, leaving the final determination of guilt to the trial.
