The judicial investigation into the so-called ‘caso Cerdán’ has entered a new phase. The Audiencia Nacional has authorized a broader review of financial activities linked to Santos Cerdán, former secretary of Organization of the PSOE, and his close relatives. Judge Ismael Moreno instructed the Guardia Civil’s Unidad Central Operativa (UCO) to examine the bank accounts and financial products of Cerdán’s wife and daughter, as well as his sister and brother-in-law. Investigators are examining whether financial flows or benefits were connected to public works contracts. The allegations remain under investigation and are not final judicial findings.
Judge Moreno also ordered the ONIF (National Fraud Investigation Office) to provide the UCO with available files on three construction companies, Mer Construcción, Levantina and OPR, implicated in the alleged scheme. Investigators are to analyze the firms’ tax records for fiscal years 2021 to 2023. The latest instructions also call for reviewing documents from the Bizkaia tax authority concerning Cerdán’s wife and a company associated with Antxon Alonso, identified as a basic associate in the case. The wider financial inquiry examines corporate relationships and income sources, along with the movement of funds.
The case against Cerdán forms a branch of the broader ‘caso Koldo’, which centered on pandemic-era mask procurement fraud and led to convictions for former minister José Luis Ábalos and his two associates, adviser Koldo García and intermediary Víctor de Aldama. The UCO alleges that Cerdán established a parallel network in Navarra, using political influence and connections with García to steer public contracts. Investigators believe the alleged network expanded nationally after Ábalos became Minister of Transport and appointed García as an adviser.
Investigators are examining Servinabar, formally administered by Antxon Alonso, and whether it was used to channel benefits connected to public works. A private agreement from 2016, reportedly identified by the UCO, stated that Cerdán acquired a 45% stake in Servinabar for €6,000. A later UCO patrimonial analysis estimated that Cerdán and family members received or benefited from at least €323,178.41 between 2015 and 2024. That estimate includes alleged personal expenses and services, including €44,645.26 for rent on the family’s Madrid residence. The rental figure is part of the broader estimate, not an additional amount. Cerdán’s partner, Francisca Muñoz, reportedly received €1,300 per month from a Granada-based company without performing work. Servinabar also attempted to purchase a Madrid apartment for the couple valued at €1 million. These are investigative allegations subject to judicial assessment, not a determination of criminal liability or public loss.
The contracting inquiry includes the Ronda Sur de Logroño project, awarded in September 2019 and valued at €92.4 million. Messages among Koldo García, Antxon Alonso, Acciona representatives and former minister José Luis Ábalos allegedly showed interest in securing the work and celebrations after the award. Those messages form part of the reported investigative picture; by themselves, they do not establish that the tender was rigged. Servinabar participated in a consortium with Acciona. Investigators are assessing what work it carried out and how the related payments were accounted for.
Acciona reportedly submitted invoices totaling approximately €1.957 million, including VAT, for work issued through the consortium involving Servinabar. After a judicial request, the company supplied invoices and records of deliveries and personnel work sheets to the Audiencia Nacional. Investigators are examining the records to establish whether the payments reflected legitimate work or concealed benefits. The invoice total alone does not prove bribery or criminal responsibility. A UCO analysis also reportedly attributed 87.04% of Servinabar’s income to Acciona or projects linked to the company, while alleging that Cerdán had “plena disposición” over Servinabar funds. The significance of that revenue concentration and the allegation about control of the funds remain for judicial evaluation.
The investigation’s expansion followed findings of unexplained cash deposits between 2014 and 2017, as well as a marked reduction in card spending and cash withdrawals after 2019. This period overlapped with Ábalos’s tenure as minister and the awarding of contracts to Acciona. The UCO is reconstructing the alleged benefits to Cerdán and relatives while tracing Servinabar’s income sources. In a reported filing, Cerdán objected to the scope of the review, arguing that the court was seeking to “investigate his entire life to look for offenses.” Fiscalía Anticorrupción stated in a filing dated 14 October that investigators had not established the origin or full amount of Cerdán’s income during the period under review. Its reconstruction of income and the UCO’s estimate of alleged benefits address related, but not necessarily identical, questions.
Separately, the ONIF has been asked to deliver tax files on Mer Construcción, Levantina and OPR, whose executives have also been linked to public works contracts under scrutiny. The Supreme Court previously questioned several directors and imposed travel restrictions on them. Those restricted include José Ruz of Levantina, Antonio and Daniel Fernández Menéndez of OPR, and Fernando Merino of Mer Construcción and a former Acciona executive. All have denied paying bribes for contracts.
The development comes as Spain’s judiciary faces heightened scrutiny over high-profile corruption cases. Recent disputes within the judicial council over disciplinary actions in other sensitive investigations, including the Begoña Gómez case, have also drawn national attention. See the analysis of internal divisions at the CGPJ in this related report.
Spain’s anti-corruption efforts have intensified in recent years, with the Audiencia Nacional and Guardia Civil playing central roles in investigations involving public officials and contractors. The ONIF, the tax authority’s investigative arm, has been asked to provide corporate tax documentation in this case. The inquiry now combines private financial records with tax files, a 2016 corporate agreement and operational records from a major public-works consortium. The Audiencia Nacional is assessing whether the payments and corporate arrangements reflected legitimate subcontracting or concealed benefits. The proceedings remain active, with no final adjudication established in the material cited here.
