Spanish prosecutors allege PSOE funded a criminal network to derail corruption probes, Guardia Civil officers testify to political pressure

The prosecution's case

Spanish prosecutors allege that the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) placed its logistical and financial infrastructure at the service of a network designed to destabilise judicial proceedings affecting the party and the government. An internal report, seen by elDiario.es, states that payments to former party militant Leire Díez were channelled through intermediary companies and falsified invoices to hide the money trail.

The PSOE put its logistical and financial infrastructure at the service of the maneuvers allegedly orchestrated by its former Organisation Secretary Santos Cerdán and former socialist militant Leire Díez.

The Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) concluded that Cerdán and Díez led a criminal group active during 2024 and 2025. The group's ultimate goal, according to the UCO report, was to protect the interests at stake in a series of judicial cases affecting the PSOE and, directly or indirectly, certain government members or the Prime Minister.

Pressure on investigators

Three senior Guardia Civil officers testified on 27 May about political pressure to stall investigations. Former UCO chief Rafael Yuste described a meeting on 16 July 2024 with Deputy Operations Director (DAO) Manuel Llamas, where officers were told not to be proactive in politically sensitive cases. Yuste stated the instruction was to "stand aside" and let the judicial authority take the initiative.

In this meeting, the DAO indicated to those present that, in police proceedings with political impact, we should not be proactive, under the instruction that 'we stand aside'.

The head of the Judicial Police, Alfonso López Malo, testified that then-director of the Guardia Civil, Leonardo Marcos, summoned him on 12 July 2024. Marcos was reportedly angry about a UCO report related to the investigation of David Sánchez, the Prime Minister's brother. According to the testimony, Marcos ordered that a new report be completed quickly and conclude "that there was nothing," even if it meant cancelling officers' holidays.

The alleged network's operations

Leire Díez allegedly boasted of her influence over appointments to the Guardia Civil's senior ranks. According to the testimony of commander Rubén Villalba, she claimed she would personally choose the next DAO, seeking a profile not aligned with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. She expressed total rejection of Marlaska, saying he had lost government support for failing to halt police investigations closing in on the PSOE.

She herself would choose the next DAO.

The network also allegedly targeted lieutenant colonel Antonio Balas, aiming to defeat what they called the "patriotic UCO." In exchange for sensitive information to torpedo cases, the network promised investigated officers career advantages, including promotions.

Political fallout inside the PSOE

The phrase "protect the interests of the President" has spread rapidly among socialist officials. Party sources told La Razón that the latest disclosures break the firewall the government had tried to maintain between separate corruption cases. Until now, Moncloa's strategy was to isolate each scandal, but the new evidence links them under a single alleged criminal structure directed from within the party.

That was precisely the firewall we were trying to preserve. If the discussion leaves the party and moves to the president, the political dimension changes completely.

On 27 May, UCO agents searched the PSOE headquarters on Calle Ferraz in Madrid, seeking documentation and digital evidence of the alleged criminal network.