A new wave of political scandal is unfolding in the Spanish capital: a Madrid judge has agreed to review a complaint against Santos Cerdán, the former Organization Secretary of the PSOE. He is suspected of possibly distorting facts during his testimony in the Senate regarding his contacts with Koldo García. This occurred as part of an investigation into medical mask procurement during the height of the pandemic.
Cerdán, who is currently in custody on a separate case, came under scrutiny after the ultracatholic organization Hazte Oír filed a complaint against him. Judge Lydia María Paloma Montaño found grounds to believe that Cerdán may have significantly misrepresented the truth when discussing his relations with the former ministerial adviser Koldo García. Specifically, the judge is examining whether he maintained contact with García between 2021 and 2023, knew of García’s role as an intermediary in procurement deals, or had any business connections with him.
During the parliamentary commission launched by the opposition, Cerdán denied having any contact with García in recent years and insisted he was unaware of García’s commercial interests. However, police materials suggest otherwise. The judge believes there is sufficient reason at this stage to move forward with the case and verify whether Cerdán in fact provided false information.
The court proceedings began just days before Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to appear before the Senate on the same issue. If Cerdán is found guilty, he could face not only a fine but also imprisonment, as stipulated by Article 502 of the Spanish Penal Code for providing false testimony before a parliamentary committee.
In addition, the court required Hazte Oír to post a bond of 3,000 euros to participate in the proceedings, and requested information from Congress regarding Cerdán’s status as a deputy. At the same time, the organization filed a similar complaint against Francina Armengol, the President of Congress, but the Supreme Court has not yet reached a decision on the matter.
