Spain's Guardia Civil probe alleges PSOE ran a covert network to sabotage judicial investigations

The alleged network

A Guardia Civil investigation, led by the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO), has concluded that a covert network operated with the "support" of the PSOE to protect the interests of party and government members affected by various judicial proceedings. According to a UCO report, the activity began in 2024 and involved "promises, offers, compensation or influence over third parties" in exchange for sensitive information aimed at obstructing criminal cases.

This activity would have been developed under the support of the PSOE, through the provision by Santos Cerdán of infrastructure and economic support to cover the actions and provide logistical coverage to the actions of this group of people.

The probe points to former PSOE militant Leire Díez and party organisation secretary Santos Cerdán as the leaders of the scheme. Two party employees, Covadonga San Pedro and Celia Rodríguez, are alleged to have managed travel and expenses for the operation.

The trigger: Begoña Gómez and Sánchez's letter

UCO investigators believe the opening of proceedings against Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, following a complaint by Manos Limpias, and Sánchez's subsequent public letter to citizens, was the catalyst. The report suggests Cerdán activated the network to obtain information from judges, prosecutors and police in order to "destabilise" that case and others.

Payments to Díez were allegedly channelled through a company belonging to Gaspar Zarrías, a former senior official under ex-Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The Guardia Civil found nearly 20,000 euros in cash at Zarrías's home and seized the mobile phone of Juan Manuel Serrano, Sánchez's former chief of staff in the PSOE.

Promises of influence inside the Guardia Civil

In meetings with Guardia Civil commander Rubén Villalba, himself implicated in the 'Koldo case', Díez claimed direct access to "those at the top," the "number one of the party" and the "number one of the Government," referring to Pedro Sánchez. She allegedly boasted that she would personally choose the next DAO (Deputy Director of Operations) of the Guardia Civil, seeking a profile not "aligned" with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

She herself would choose the next DAO.

Díez expressed "total and absolute rejection" of Marlaska, claiming he had suffered enormous wear for "not having stopped the police investigations" and UCO operations closing in on the PSOE. Villalba testified voluntarily on 28 May, the day after UCO agents searched the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz Street in Madrid.

A "man in the White House" and media operations

Intercepted communications reveal the network referred to a contact as "our man in the White House." On 20 April 2024, Díez told businessman Javier Pérez Dolset that she would speak with Zarrías so that "our man in the White House" could see something. The conversation then turned to whether they had "located the recordings."

A worker at Crónica Libre, a media outlet founded by the late Patricia López and Díez, confirmed the existence of a Drive folder called "Operation PSOE." The folder contained information on individuals affected by investigations linked to former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo. The outlet allegedly contacted those affected to offer documentation and interviews, including one published with a figure linked to El País.

Witnesses allege pressure and compensation offers

Several individuals under investigation in separate judicial cases told the UCO they received pressure from Díez or her associates. Businesswoman Carmen Pano, who has repeatedly claimed in court that she delivered 90,000 euros in cash to PSOE headquarters, stated that Koldo García's lawyer, Leticia de la Hoz, contacted her on behalf of "people from the PSOE" with a proposal aimed at "saving the necks of Ábalos and Koldo."

Pano said she was asked to deny the cash delivery in her court testimony. She requested 25,000 euros for her daughter's wedding and between 2,500 and 2,800 euros for monthly rent as compensation. Her driver, Álvaro Gallego, asked for 15,000 euros to buy a car. Pano claims the PSOE accepted, though she ultimately did not alter her testimony on her lawyer's advice. De la Hoz has denied the allegations, submitting WhatsApp screenshots she says show the meetings concerned unrelated matters.

A call for caution

Joan Coscubiela, a political analyst, urged "prudence" regarding the leaked UCO reports, noting past discrepancies between initial leaks and subsequent judicial findings. "In some aspects, the reports are written by frustrated crime novelists," he said, adding that some elements "do not coincide with the investigations." He also remarked that even in the sewers of politics, "there has been a lot of shoddy work."

When I read some of these reports, I have the feeling that, in some aspects, they are written by frustrated crime novelists, because they have some elements that later do not coincide with the investigations.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, the judge in the 'Plus Ultra case' has requested a preliminary valuation of jewellery found during a search of former Prime Minister Zapatero's office, ordering police to store the pieces at a historic Madrid jeweller.