UCO report links PNV to Leire corruption scheme over €112.8m Tubos Reunidos rescue
Spain's Guardia Civil has found evidence that the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) was used by a corruption network to secure a €112.8 million state bailout for steelmaker Tubos Reunidos, according to a new UCO report.
The UCO report
A new report from the Guardia Civil's Unidad Central Operativa (UCO) has linked the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) to the "caso Leire" corruption scheme. The investigation, led by judge Santiago Pedraz at the Audiencia Nacional, focuses on a network that allegedly manipulated public contracts and bailouts. The UCO found that the group known as "Hirurok", Leire Díez, Vicente Fernández, and Antxón Alonso, used their contacts within the PNV to push for a €112.8 million state rescue of the Basque steel company Tubos Reunidos.
Antxon, can you find out what the PNV thinks about the Tubos Reunidos rescue?... the Secretary of State for Economy is raising objections.
The report details how Fernández, the former president of the state holding company SEPI, continued to act as its de facto head even after leaving office in 2019, accessing internal information and directing other executives.
The Hirurok group and the PNV connection
The Hirurok group, "we three" in Basque, comprised Leire Díez, a former PSOE militant; Vicente Fernández, ex-SEPI president; and Antxón Alonso, a businessman and partner of former PSOE organization secretary Santos Cerdán. According to the UCO, Alonso's "capacity to access PNV members" was key. In June 2021, Fernández asked Alonso to contact the PNV to unblock the rescue, citing objections from the Secretary of State for Economy. A month later, the rescue was approved.
The UCO also uncovered a meeting on 28 January 2025 between then-PNV president Andoni Ortúzar, PNV organization head Joseba Aurrekoetxea, Fernández, and Tubos Reunidos CEO Carlos López de las Heras. The meeting, the report suggests, was aimed at accelerating the bailout process.
- Vicente Fernández continues acting as de facto SEPI president after leaving office.
- Hirurok group contacts Tubos Reunidos about FASEE fund.
- Fernández asks Alonso to contact PNV to unblock rescue; cites Economy Secretary's objections.
- Tubos Reunidos rescue approved.
- Monthly payments of €5,000 begin via Mediaciones Martínez.
- Payments end.
- Tubos Reunidos sells Sestao plant for €15m; funds blocked by SEPI.
- Meeting between Ortúzar, Aurrekoetxea, Fernández, and López de las Heras.
- UCO report published implicating PNV.
Payments and commissions
For their intermediation, the Hirurok group received a total of €114,950 through invoices issued by Mediaciones Martínez, a shell company, between December 2021 and August 2023. El Confidencial reports a higher figure of €247,459, with half paid via Mediaciones and the rest directly to Fernández. The payments were allegedly agreed with Tubos Reunidos' then-president Francisco Irazusta.
Later, in July 2024, Tubos Reunidos sold a plant in Sestao for €15 million. The SEPI blocked those funds, requiring them to be used for early repayment of the bailout. The trama then intervened again, this time with Santos Cerdán and Basque government contacts, to secure a waiver. The UCO says this second operation involved a commission of at least €40,000.
PNV's response
The PNV has acknowledged meetings with government officials about Tubos Reunidos and other Basque companies, but denies any involvement in illegal activities.
It is not the PNV's responsibility, nor does it have anything to do with the work carried out by jeltzale representatives, the activities that third parties may be carrying out in parallel.
The party says it has a long history of defending strategic Basque companies, including Talgo, Astilleros Balenciaga, BSH, and CAF, and that other parties do the same. It insists that its actions were solely in the public interest.
Wider implications
The case has already led to the opening of a separate investigation within the broader "caso Leire". Santos Cerdán, a key figure in the PSOE, is implicated in the scheme. The revelations could strain relations between the Spanish government and its Basque nationalist allies, who have often provided parliamentary support. The investigation continues.
