Koldo García says PP lawyer offered him one million euros for information against Sánchez

The allegation

Koldo García, a former adviser to José Luis Ábalos who has been convicted in the mascarillas case, told Cadena SER from prison that Alberto Durán offered him payment of his defence costs and one million euros. Durán had until recently been the PP's lawyer in the corruption cases affecting the government and the PSOE. According to García, the money would have come through the publisher of the OkDiario website in exchange for information that could help topple Pedro Sánchez. The account was broadcast on Thursday, 5 November 2026. García says a recording supports his version, but defence sources have not made it public.

Meetings and payments

García says he held two meetings in May 2026 with Durán in a Madrid office close to the PP headquarters on Calle Génova. The first was exploratory, while the second set out the basis of the deal, which García says was carried out only in part. His lawyer, Leticia de la Hoz, handed judge Santiago Pedraz at the Audiencia Nacional invoices showing a payment of 242,000 euros from the publisher of OkDiario towards García's defence. García also says OkDiario director Eduardo Inda told him he would recover that money through institutional advertising the outlet sells to PP-run governments. He describes a first alleged payment of 300,000 euros tied to an interview in which he was supposed to name Sánchez, Begoña Gómez and Zapatero, and a second of 700,000 euros that would be justified as book rights.

Defence invoices paid via OkDiario publisher242,000

Alleged first payment, linked to interview300,000

Alleged second payment, book rights700,000

Additional sum offered, per García1,000,000

Defence invoices paid via OkDiario publisher

242000 euros

Alleged first payment, linked to interview

300000 euros

Alleged second payment, book rights

700000 euros

Additional sum offered, per García

1000000 euros

Data from the article text

Reactions

OkDiario has said the arrangement concerned a docuserie and other collaborations by García, without addressing the payment of the lawyer's fees. Sources at the PP's national leadership called the claim 'absolutely false', and Durán has denied any offer. The PSOE's organisation secretary, Rebeca Torró, called the allegation 'pure dirty war of extreme gravity' on X. In a party statement, the PSOE demanded that Alberto Núñez Feijóo explain immediately, asking where the million would have come from, whether Feijóo knew of the supposed deal, and why Durán had been removed from the case.

Félix Bolaños, the minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, spoke in León and urged Feijóo to clarify whether the PP had paid García or anyone else:

“That is a question that seems very pertinent, which Mr Feijóo and the Partido Popular should answer.”

Salvador Illa, president of the Generalitat and first secretary of the PSC, addressed a gathering of Socialist mayors and said:

“Whoever buys witnesses does not attack Sánchez or the PSOE, they attack the rules of democracy.”

Open questions

Bolaños said he was convinced Feijóo would respond, and Feijóo is the PP leader and its candidate for the presidency of the government. The allegation rests on García's statement and on the invoices filed in court, while the recording he refers to has not been published. The PP has not yet answered the specific questions raised by the PSOE in the reporting available.