Leire Díez
Spanish journalist and politician
- Jun 29
Sánchez backs indicted SEPI president after judge charges 25 in influence-peddling probe
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared his support for Belén Gualda after a National Court judge indicted 25 people, including the SEPI president, in the widening Leire Díez investigation into alleged contract rigging and kickbacks.
- Jun 29
Pano tells judge Koldo's lawyer offered €250,000 from 'party people' to deny Ferraz cash delivery
Carmen Pano testified that Leticia de la Hoz, lawyer of convicted ex-ministerial aide Koldo García, offered her €250,000 to retract statements about delivering 90,000 euros in cash to the Socialist Party's headquarters. Her driver Álvaro Gallego confirmed the episode.
- Jun 25
Guardia Civil generals confirm they were told to 'stand aside' in politically sensitive investigations involving PM's family
Former heads of the UCO unit testified before judge Santiago Pedraz that senior Guardia Civil commanders instructed them to avoid proactive investigations in cases affecting Pedro Sánchez and his relatives.
- Jun 20
Spanish attorney general rejects 'criminal plot' allegations in Senate hearing
Teresa Peramato appeared before the Senate Justice Committee on 19 June 2026 to defend her office against opposition claims that the prosecution had acted as part of a network aimed at undermining court cases linked to the government and the ruling Socialist Party.
- Jun 15
Judge proposes trial for 16 in €148 million Spanish fuel VAT fraud that links PSOE ally and Civil Guard captain
Audiencia Nacional judge Santiago Pedraz has moved to prosecute 16 people for an alleged 148-million-euro VAT fraud on hydrocarbons between 2018 and 2021, a case that entangles a businessman linked to the Socialist party and a Civil Guard officer.
- Jun 15
PSOE bankrolled covert operation to derail investigations into Sánchez's inner circle, Guardia Civil finds
Guardia Civil reports reveal that the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) used party resources to finance a covert campaign aimed at discrediting judges, prosecutors and police investigating Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife, with former organizational secretary Santos Cerdán alleged to have personally approved the expenditures.
- Jun 14
PSOE maintains 'absolute confidence' in Zapatero while denouncing judicial 'rush' to topple Sánchez government before summer
PSOE spokesperson Montse Mínguez said on Saturday the party has absolute confidence in former prime minister Zapatero, but condemned an accelerated judicial agenda designed to bring down Pedro Sánchez's government before summer.
- Jun 13
Leire Díez's seized notebooks expose a PSOE-linked network to manipulate judicial investigations across Spain's state institutions
Diaries confiscated from former PSOE militant Leire Díez map a coordinated effort to interfere in sensitive court cases, drawing in the attorney general's office, Guardia Civil leadership, and senior party figures.
- Jun 12
Andalusia’s comptroller general resigns after initials appear in Leire Díez case notebooks
Miguel Ángel Figueroa stepped down after his initials were found in the notebooks of the former Socialist militant, where she wrote he would be “our eyes in the SEPI.”
- Jun 12
Spanish judge summons Cerdán’s lawyer in probe over PSOE ‘sewers’ operation
The investigating judge in the Leire Díez case has ordered Jacobo Teijelo, lawyer of former PSOE official Santos Cerdán, to appear as an investigated party on 25 June, after the state prosecutor’s office confirmed two meetings between Teijelo, Leire Díez and senior prosecutors.
- Jun 11
PSOE drops nearly five points in first CIS poll after Zapatero indictment and Ferraz raid, but holds narrow lead over PP
The governing Socialists lost 4.9 percentage points in the June CIS barometer, the first survey taken after the indictment of former prime minister Zapatero and the UCO search of party headquarters, yet remain ahead of the PP by 4.2 points.
- Jun 10
Spanish prosecutors demand transparency over secret meetings between ex-AG's deputy and PSOE-linked figures
Two major Spanish prosecutors' associations have demanded an internal investigation and warned the current Attorney General she must resign if the institution remains opaque about two undisclosed meetings between the former deputy attorney general and individuals linked to the ruling PSOE party.
- Jun 3
PP calls for resignations over 'state crime' as PSOE fixer recordings reveal offers of favours to judges and police
Recordings seized from a former PSOE militant show her offering protection and prosecution deals to a former security chief and an ex-Guardia Civil captain, triggering calls from the opposition for the interior minister and the Guardia Civil director to resign.
- Jun 2
PSOE triples reported payments to ‘party plumber’ Leire Díez, admitting €44,859 for communication work
The Spanish Socialist Party corrected a court filing to show it paid ex-militant Leire Díez €44,859 for communication advisory work, tripling the initially declared €15,612.
- Jun 1
Spain's PSOE Reels as 'Leire Díez' Scandal Deepens: Cerdán Denies Bribes, Podemos Calls Government Position 'Unsustainable'
Former PSOE organization secretary Santos Cerdán denied any blackmail or bribery on Monday after being charged in the 'Leire Díez' case, as coalition partner Podemos declared the government's position 'unsustainable' and a new poll showed a majority of Spaniards believe Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez knew of the alleged scheme.
- May 28
PNV's Esteban declares Spanish legislature 'finished,' demands early elections but rules out no-confidence motion
Basque Nationalist Party president Aitor Esteban declared Spain's legislature has "reached its end" and called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to dissolve parliament and hold elections in 2026, while firmly rejecting any no-confidence motion.
- May 28
Spanish Government in Crisis: PSOE Headquarters Searched, Coalition Partners Waver as Judicial Pressure Mounts
Agents from Spain's Guardia Civil entered the PSOE's Madrid headquarters on Wednesday to execute a judicial request for information, deepening a political crisis that has seen a former prime minister indicted and the party's manager charged, while coalition partners warn of legislative paralysis.
- May 28
Spanish judge implicates PM Sánchez in PSOE 'sewer' plot to sabotage corruption probes after wife's indictment
A National Court judge has placed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the center of an alleged PSOE criminal network that sought to destabilize judicial investigations into the party, the government, and his family, following the indictment of his wife Begoña Gómez.
- May 27
Spanish Court Orders Document Seizure at PSOE Headquarters, Implicates Former Party Boss in Alleged Judicial Sabotage Ring
Agents from Spain's Guardia Civil entered the ruling Socialist Party's Madrid headquarters on Wednesday to seize documents, while a National Court judge implicated former organizational secretary Santos Cerdán in an alleged criminal scheme to destabilize court cases affecting the party and government.
- May 27
Judge Pedraz alleges PSOE paid over €170,000 to a network led by Leire Díez to sabotage judicial investigations
Spain's National Court judge Santiago Pedraz has issued a ruling alleging that the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) financed a covert network, led by former party militant Leire Díez, to systematically destabilize judicial investigations affecting the party and the government.
