Ana María Fuentes told the court she only approved payments, not contracts. The investigation links her to authorizing large sums to lawyers connected to the Leire Díez case. The PSOE faces renewed questions about its internal controls.
Ana María Fuentes, the PSOE’s finance chief, told Spain’s National Court that she simply approved payments and did not oversee contracts or their execution, as the party faces a growing scandal over the ‘caso Leire Díez’. Her testimony shifted responsibility to the Organization Secretariat, led by Santos Cerdán, and brought new attention to how the party manages its finances.
The investigation centers on more than €150,000 paid through lawyers Ismael Oliver and Jacobo Teijelo. According to the judge, these payments were backed by "commissioning notes" signed by Fuentes. Prosecutors now suspect these documents were fabricated to disguise the real purpose: rewarding Leire Díez for helping shield the PSOE and Pedro Sánchez’s government from damaging court cases. At a National Court session on September 9, 2026, the focus was on these payments and whether there was a coordinated effort inside the party to influence judicial outcomes.
Fuentes, now a defendant before Judge Santiago Pedraz, insisted her job was limited to authorizing payments. She said she did not choose contractors or check if services were actually delivered. This defense aims to separate her from the core of the alleged scheme, which investigators believe was run by Díez and Cerdán to protect the party’s leadership from legal threats. According to Demócrata’s summary of the UCO report, the investigation points to a possible structure coordinated by Santos Cerdán and Leire Díez, with party resources allegedly used to obstruct judicial cases that could affect the PSOE or Pedro Sánchez.
The court’s summary describes Fuentes as a facilitator, not the mastermind. The judge wrote that her actions could amount to complicity or co-authorship in falsifying documents, but not leadership of a criminal group. The evidence includes two payments totaling €27,225 routed through Oliver’s companies and three invoices from Teijelo for €125,000, all supposedly for legal advice that investigators say was never provided. Media reports and police documents highlight at least €43,225 paid to Leire Díez through intermediaries such as Gaspar Zarrías or Ismael Oliver. These sums are now under close examination in the ongoing case.
The case has exposed weaknesses in the PSOE’s financial oversight, echoing earlier internal disputes like the withdrawal of Sara Oviedo from the Leganés mayoral race. Both incidents point to deeper problems with accountability and transparency in the party’s leadership.
EFE
As the investigation continues, the PSOE faces pressure to explain its internal controls and regain public trust. The party’s leadership now has to decide whether to address the weaknesses that allowed these schemes or risk further damage to its credibility. The court’s focus on Fuentes as an enabler, not a ringleader, suggests the real challenge for the PSOE is whether it can stop the cycle of blame and make real reforms before another crisis emerges.
