A handwritten note found by the Guardia Civil’s Central Operational Unit (UCO) has placed Sofía Puente, former director general of Legal Security and sister of Transport Minister Óscar Puente, at the center of a growing probe into how Venezuelan exile Nervis Villalobos obtained Spanish citizenship. The note reads: “Expediente nacionalidad pregunta la Directora: Nervis Villalobos.” Villalobos has close ties to the Leire Díez network.
Investigators found the message during a search at the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts. The UCO sent a report to Judge Santiago Pedraz, and the note has become a basic piece of evidence. The official who handled Villalobos’s citizenship file could not say where the note came from or what it meant. Villalobos, a former Venezuelan deputy energy minister, nevertheless obtained Spanish citizenship. Vozpópuli reported that he received it in April 2025 under the Ley de Memoria Democrática, after twice being denied residency-based naturalization. The move may have protected him from extradition to the United States, where he faces charges of laundering money stolen from Venezuela’s state funds during the Chávez years.
For Villalobos, Spanish citizenship was more than a passport: it could block U.S. attempts to extradite him. The UCO’s findings suggest his case caught the attention of top officials. Investigators now believe Villalobos may also have paid for pressure campaigns against prosecutor José Grinda, a basic figure in cases tied to the Leire Díez network. Díez is under investigation for allegedly trying to disrupt court cases at the request of Santos Cerdán, formerly deputy leader of Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE.
The money trail adds another dimension to the case. EL MUNDO reviewed documents showing that the PSOE paid almost €20,000 to Crónica Libre, a media outlet linked to Leire Díez. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is examining whether EU funds were misused to support Díez’s activities after a private citizen alerted it. A formal probe will begin if investigators find evidence of EU fund misuse.
Testimonies collected by the UCO provide further detail. Nuria Coronado, a former Crónica Libre writer, told investigators she had been told the outlet received €15,000 from the PSOE. A critical article about the party’s Trans Law was later removed. Patricia López, the late founder of Crónica Libre, reportedly said the editorial change followed payment for a campaign supporting Teresa Ribera’s European election bid. Mónica Hurtado de Mendoza, head of IKI Media Solutions, confirmed that Crónica Libre was initially set to receive €20,000 for the campaign, with a possible additional €5,000 later. The final contract was for €14,980 net, or €18,125.80 including VAT.
Demócrata reported that the investigation into Leire Díez remained open in late August 2026, with witness interviews continuing and more figures coming under scrutiny. The case also examines alleged attempts to obtain information about prosecutor José Grinda, as well as possible financial links between Díez’s network and Nervis Villalobos.
These findings echo other Spanish corruption cases in which money and political power intersect. As reported earlier, the Guardia Civil has tracked similar networks moving millions across borders, often using shell companies and shadowy media outlets.
The UCO’s report, now with the Audiencia Nacional, points to possible involvement by a minister’s family member in a sensitive citizenship case. It also examines political strategy and media funding in connection with alleged interference in the courts. The note’s reference to “Pregunta la Directora” is one element in the wider investigation into those connections.
