Guardia Civil's UCO launches new operation in secret strand of Koldo case

The operation

Agents of the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO) of the Guardia Civil began an operation early on Thursday, 5 November 2026, within the Koldo case at Spain's Audiencia Nacional. Sources in the investigation told several outlets that the action is tied to a secret separate piece opened by the judge. The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office is taking part. The sources did not say which individuals the measures target. The measures include new searches and requests for information, and arrests were not expected. El Periódico reported that some of the bodies asked for documents may be public entities, and that the operation is being kept under maximum secrecy, especially regarding where it is taking place.

A secret piece built on a new UCO report

Judge Ismael Moreno opened the new secret piece after receiving a fresh report from the UCO. El Periódico, citing a resolution it had seen, said the report came from the UCO's Economic Crime Unit and that the requests relate to its contents. The content of that report has not been made public. Accounts differ on the date the piece was opened, with Wednesday, 4 November given in some reports and Tuesday, 3 November in others. According to elDiario.es, the judge has declared the proceedings secret.

The Koldo case and its mask-purchase origin

The case began with alleged irregularities in the purchase of face masks during the pandemic. The Supreme Court partly tried former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, his former adviser Koldo García and businessman Víctor de Aldama, because Ábalos was a deputy with privileged jurisdiction when he was prosecuted. The court sentenced Ábalos to 24 years, Koldo García to 19 years and Aldama to four years. It allowed Aldama to avoid prison because he cooperated with justice, on condition that he does not commit another crime. That trial covered only part of the case, which still has several lines of investigation.

Other lines under Moreno's investigation

Moreno is also investigating alleged rigging of public works contracts during Ábalos's time at the Transport Ministry. He is also looking into cash payments made by the PSOE between 2017 and 2024 to repay advanced expenses, a piece that Europa Press says is also secret. Moreno keeps under investigation several former executives of Adif and of the Directorate General of Roads who were left out of the Supreme Court trial. El Periódico describes Santos Cerdán as the former third-ranking figure in the PSOE and says the investigation covers what it calls the Koldo/Cerdán strand. elDiario.es calls Cerdán the former organisation secretary of the PSOE and the main person under investigation.

What remains unknown

Sources have not named the people affected by the operation. The contents of the new piece and the exact scope of the requests to public bodies have not been released. The Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office is participating in the operation. At the time of the reports, no further details had been published about the outcome of the searches and requests.