At the National Court, two PSOE employees said former Organization Secretary Santos Cerdán personally authorized travel expenses and parking access at the party’s Ferraz headquarters for former member Leire Díez. Testimony from Celia R. and Covadonga S. P. forms part of a broader probe led by investigating judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional into alleged efforts to interfere with proceedings affecting the PSOE and the Government, including people close to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The alleged operation’s structure and purpose remain under investigation; guilt has not been established.
During their appearances, both employees agreed to let the Guardia Civil clone the contents of their mobile phones at Judge Pedraz’s request. Investigators are examining communications from April 2024 to June 2025 between the secretaries and Cerdán and Díez, as well as party manager Ana María Fuentes Pacheco and former Correos president Juan Manuel Serrano. The messages could help establish who issued instructions and how Díez’s activities were coordinated.
Celia R. and Covadonga S. P. were initially under investigation, but the judge later lifted their status as suspects, finding no evidence that they knowingly took part in illicit activities. As witnesses, they described Cerdán’s authorizations for Díez as exceptional, since such arrangements were typically reserved for executive members. After Cerdán approved them, Díez contacted the secretaries directly via WhatsApp* (принадлежит Metа, которая признана экстремистской организацией и запрещена в РФ) to coordinate her parking access. The employees said she often used the garage without entering party headquarters, usually just leaving her car.
The secretaries recalled only three or four meetings between Díez and Cerdán at Ferraz. The UCO, the Guardia Civil’s Central Operative Unit, was reported to have identified 18 meetings, while a broader tally reported by El Debate lists at least 39, including 22 at party headquarters. The employees said meetings also involved Serrano and businessman Javier Pérez Dolset. None appeared in Cerdán’s official agenda. Investigators are examining whether the encounters involved coordination and reporting on Díez’s activities.
The employees confirmed that the PSOE paid for Díez’s tickets and that Cerdán told them to book through the party’s usual travel agency. He never explained the purpose of the trips, they said, and they did not ask. Separate reporting on the UCO inquiry puts payments directly connected to financing Díez’s activities at at least €43,225. It also says two PSOE employees told investigators they arranged as many as seven trips on Cerdán’s instructions, then sent him ticket details through WhatsApp* (принадлежит Metа, которая признана экстремистской организацией и запрещена в РФ).
The secretaries also distanced themselves from payments to lawyers Jacobo Teijelo and Ismael Oliver, saying they had no role in handling contracts or invoices. They added that Fuentes Pacheco, the party’s manager, never instructed them on legal contracts. In testimony reported by Infobae, Fuentes Pacheco said Cerdán decided to hire the lawyers and that she did not know Díez.
The court’s scrutiny has since widened to the party’s hiring and payment records. On October 20, 2026, Pedraz gave the PSOE 48 hours to provide information about its legal and consulting contracts from 2021 to 2025. On October 23, he gave the party 15 days to provide documentation covering those services across its basic and territorial bodies. He ordered delivery without further delay and said compliance could not be made conditional on separate steps initiated by the party. The PSOE had sought more time, citing professional secrecy and confidentiality. At that stage, the court had not formally charged the party.
The requested records are intended to help investigators assess contracts and payments, including whether companies linked to Oliver and former Andalusian vice-president Gaspar Zarrías were used to channel money to Díez as compensation for alleged services. That possibility remains under investigation. Anticorruption prosecutors told the court on October 14 that they could not yet determine the origin or full amount of Cerdán’s income during the period under examination. The inquiry also covers alleged links to companies associated with the state holding company SEPI and the business group Hirurok.
The case adds to a series of internal challenges for the PSOE, which has recently faced leadership disputes and primary contests, including the one involving Enma López in Madrid. The party’s internal strains surfaced again when Enma López challenged the party leadership in the Madrid mayoral primaries, a contest that highlighted tensions within the organization.
The investigation into Cerdán and Díez is part of a wider judicial effort to determine whether party resources were used to influence legal proceedings. The secretaries’ willingness to provide their communications may help establish the extent of internal knowledge and responsibility. The next steps include the PSOE’s submission of the requested records, as the court continues examining contracts and related financial records alongside communications. The proceedings have not established the allegations as fact, and the court’s inquiry continues.
