National Court Judge Ismael Moreno and anti-corruption prosecutor Luis Pastor have formally asked lieutenant colonel Antonio Balas to remain in charge of the high-profile ‘Caso Koldo’ investigation, even as he is set to be promoted to colonel by the end of August. The request reflects the need for continuity in the anti-corruption probe, which has already led to convictions of prominent figures.
Balas, who leads the Department of Economic and Anti-Corruption Investigations within the Guardia Civil’s Unidad Central Operativa (UCO), faces a procedural hurdle: his promotion would typically require a change of post. Both the judge and prosecutor have asked UCO chief Colonel Pedro Merino Castro to keep Balas at the helm of the investigation. The Ministry of Interior can extend his assignment through a ‘comisión de servicios’, a temporary measure that allows an officer to remain in a post outside their formal rank for up to a year, and sometimes longer in exceptional cases. A report by Juan José Fernández in Diario de Mallorca on 4 September 2026 said the Government kept Balas in the UCO after his promotion, consistent with an arrangement that allows operational duties to continue despite a change in formal rank.
Sources within the Guardia Civil describe such arrangements as common, especially when operational needs call for stability. In a recent UCO example, the head of the anti-narcotics division stayed in the role for several months after promotion because investigations were ongoing. In Balas’s case, both the judiciary and the prosecution back the request. The prosecutor has stressed Balas’s central role in uncovering alleged corruption involving former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and his ex-adviser Koldo García.
The final decision rests beyond UCO leadership. After Colonel Merino, the matter must go to General Alfonso López-Malo, head of the Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police, and then to the State Major, which oversees personnel policy. If approved, the lieutenant colonel position in the anti-corruption department would be administratively blocked, preventing others from filling the vacancy and allowing Balas to continue his work. Several sources say this administrative solution has been used repeatedly and is expected to be applied again in this case.
Balas has become a basic figure in Spain’s anti-corruption efforts, leading sensitive investigations that have reached the highest levels of government and the PSOE. He directed the search of the office of then Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz in October 2024 and helped produce the report that implicated the Attorney General in leaks related to Alberto González Amador, partner of Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Balas also gave impressive testimony in the Supreme Court trial that resulted in a two-year disqualification sentence for revealing secrets.
Balas’s leadership of the ‘Caso Koldo’ probe has been particularly impressive. The investigation began with allegations of bribes exchanged for public mask contracts during the pandemic and expanded to the Supreme Court, where Ábalos, García and intermediary Víctor de Aldama were indicted and eventually convicted. The case remains active in the National Court, with inquiries into mask procurement and alleged rigged public works, as well as cash payments from the PSOE to Ábalos and García. In a separate strand of the broader investigation, El Correo reported that the UCO identified suspected remuneration approaching 2% in public-works contracts. Acciona acknowledged payments of nearly €2 million to a company linked to Santos Cerdán and Antxon. The company’s statement appeared in a submission sent to Judge Ismael Moreno on 15 October 2026; the reported payments remain under investigation.
On 1 October 2026, Moreno gave prosecutors and the other represented parties an chance to address the next procedural steps, including who might face criminal action and which facts could be attributed to each person. The case also extends beyond procurement: Diario de Navarra reported that the UCO examined whether a group sought compromising information about people connected to the cases, from judges and prosecutors to UCO agents and witnesses, while Cerdán challenged the court’s access to material seized from his home. These are investigative and procedural developments, not findings of guilt.
Beyond ‘Caso Koldo’, Balas has overseen investigations into the brother of Prime Minister Sánchez, who awaits a verdict on alleged irregular hiring in Badajoz, and Begoña Gómez, who faces trial over alleged embezzlement and influence peddling, with business corruption and misappropriation of a brand also at issue. He is also leading the probe into an alleged criminal organization headed by former PSOE Organization Secretary Santos Cerdán. The group allegedly sought sensitive information through Leire Díez and associates, targeting judges and prosecutors as well as UCO agents, including Balas himself, to undermine cases affecting the government and party.
Recordings of meetings involving Díez reveal the pressure surrounding Balas’s role, with participants expressing concern over his influence on ongoing cases. This tension extends beyond ‘Caso Koldo’. In a related development, the legal battle over evidence in another high-profile police case was recently covered in detail. A report on the former deputy director of the National Police seeking dismissal of a sexual assault case described the ongoing legal dispute over evidence and investigative continuity, illustrating broader challenges facing Spain’s law enforcement and judicial system.
The outcome of the request will determine whether Balas can continue leading the anti-corruption department through a critical phase. The decision is expected to set a precedent for similar cases where operational continuity conflicts with administrative procedures. The Guardia Civil’s personnel policy will remain under close observation as the ‘Caso Koldo’ investigation and related inquiries continue.
