Once a central figure in the governments led by Esperanza Aguirre, Francisco Granados was sentenced by the Audiencia Nacional to two and a half years in prison. The court found that he orchestrated the manipulation of dozens of public contracts for festivals and events across the Community of Madrid and in several municipalities governed by the Partido Popular (PP). Awarded between 2007 and 2014, the contracts consistently favored Waiter Music, a company at the center of the corruption scheme.
The court found that Granados wielded impressive influence over decision-making bodies, even without direct administrative authority. The judges concluded that he benefited from this position by regularly receiving non-monetary perks, including private events paid for by businessman José Luis Huertas. Identified as a central figure in the scheme, Huertas could not be prosecuted because he had died.
The ruling also says the PP in Madrid and its leadership gained access to a company willing to provide official services alongside unofficial ones. These included extra event features requested by politicians and private services for municipal PP events or individual members. None of those services were invoiced. The court said the arrangement blurred the line between public and private interests in the allocation of public funds.
Granados was not the only official to face consequences. The court sentenced former Valdemoro mayors José Carlos Boza and José Miguel Moreno to four and two years in prison, respectively. María Ángeles Herrera, former mayor of Ciempozuelos, received a two-year sentence, as did Carlos Alberto Estrada, former mayor of Moraleja de Enmedio. The convictions show the scheme’s reach across local administrations.
The Waiter Music case is part of a wider set of corruption investigations involving Madrid’s PP and the Community of Madrid administration, as well as the PP-linked foundation Fundescam. Francisco Granados, a former secretary-general of Madrid’s PP, also served as regional minister for Transport and the Presidency. elDiario.es has described him as convicted in two other cases involving contract manipulation and disclosure of secrets. Those convictions are separate from proceedings over alleged illegal financing of the Madrid PP.
The financing investigation also involved former Madrid regional president Esperanza Aguirre, but Audiencia Nacional judge Manuel García Castellón archived the case against her. Proceedings continued against the party’s former regional manager, Beltrán Gutiérrez. That outcome is separate from the Waiter Music judgment. Broader reporting on the investigations identified officials linked to the party and regional government, while stating that prosecutors did not establish that Aguirre knew of the alleged irregularities.
Corruption cases involving public officials have drawn growing scrutiny in Spain, particularly when they expose systemic practices that erode trust in local governance. They also prompt wider debate about transparency and accountability. In another recent high-profile case in Alicante, a couple convicted of a violent crime received lengthy prison terms, as detailed in this report on a court verdict involving a separate criminal case. The offenses differ, but both cases show the challenges Spanish courts face in addressing abuses of power and breaches of public trust.
The sentences for Granados and the other former mayors mark a impressive moment in Spain’s efforts to combat public-sector corruption. The Waiter Music judgment concludes the case for those sentenced, while Granados remains involved in separate judicial proceedings. The case highlights the need for oversight in public contracting and the risks of political influence overriding established procedures, as Spain continues to confront corruption allegations involving former officials and PP-linked organizations.
