Servinabar 2000, a little-known construction company from Navarra, has become the focus of a major corruption investigation into suspected irregular commissions linked to public contracts. A Guardia Civil report by its Basic Operational Unit (UCO) says nearly 90% of Servinabar’s income between 2015 and 2025 came from Acciona and other companies under judicial scrutiny in the so-called “caso Leire.” Investigators are examining whether service contracts and payments linked to public works were genuine commercial arrangements or part of a system for channeling commissions. The allegations have not been established by a final court ruling.
The investigation places former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos among the basic figures in the alleged scheme. His adviser Koldo García and former PSOE Organization Secretary Santos Cerdán are also basic to the inquiry. The UCO report, accessed by EL PAÍS, details how Cerdán and members of his family allegedly benefited from goods and services, along with financial advantages paid for by Servinabar and related entities. These included rental properties in Madrid, car leases, furniture purchases, credit card use, and employment contracts for relatives.
Authorities suspect Santos Cerdán was a hidden partner in Servinabar, having agreed in June 2016 to acquire 45% of the company from businessman Joseba Antxón Alonso. The UCO reportedly located a private agreement setting a price of €6,000. Cerdán’s defense maintains that the arrangement never took effect because it was not formalized in a public deed. The Guardia Civil has found no evidence of a €6,000 payment for the shares, and the existence of the private agreement does not by itself establish that Cerdán became a shareholder. Investigators are examining the agreement alongside Servinabar’s relationships with contractors and public-works awards. The report describes Cerdán and Alonso as “partners” or “friends.”
Between 2015 and 2024, the Cerdán family is estimated to have received at least €323,178 in benefits from Servinabar. One impressive transaction was an attempted purchase of a high-end Madrid apartment for nearly €1 million between late 2021 and early 2022, although the deal ultimately fell through.
The UCO says Servinabar acted as a financial vehicle for the Cerdán family, directly through credit cards and indirectly through cooperatives such as Noran and Erkolan, which the company funded. The highest benefits were recorded between 2019 and 2023, coinciding with Ábalos’s tenure as transport minister and Cerdán’s rise to the PSOE’s third-ranking position. Acciona accounted for 95.7% of Servinabar’s income in 2019 and 99.8% in 2020. The remainder came from companies implicated in the “caso Leire,” while a small share came from individuals and other firms linked to Alonso.
A separate strand of the investigation concerns the Ronda Sur de Logroño works on the A-68 motorway section between Arrúbal and Navarrete. The temporary consortium responsible for the project was formed by Acciona and Aquaterra. Acciona told the Audiencia Nacional that Servinabar invoiced the consortium a total of €1,957,000, including VAT, for project-related services. The company submitted invoices, delivery notes, and employee work records after investigating magistrate Ismael Moreno requested the documentation. The records give the court material to compare with the work carried out and the consortium’s own files. Their submission alone does not establish that the payments were unlawful.
The timing of the Logroño project is also under examination. Acciona Construcción and Servinabar signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the project on 19 December 2018, before the works were awarded on 11 September 2019. Reporting on the UCO’s examination of Koldo García’s phone says communications in April 2019 involving Ábalos and García, with Cerdán also involved, allegedly showed Cerdán pressing for the award to proceed. The investigators’ account characterizes this as “insistence.” It remains an allegation being assessed as part of the wider inquiry.
Reporting on the UCO investigation also describes service agreements between Servinabar and Acciona tied to public works, with an alleged 2% payment structure on certain awards. Projects under examination reportedly span Logroño and Seville, with another in Sant Feliu de Llobregat. Investigators are assessing whether those payments corresponded to services or formed part of the alleged commission arrangement. A court has not established that they were kickbacks.
Of Servinabar’s 21 credit cards, one was assigned to Santos Cerdán for personal use. The business Visa card was activated in May 2016 but used mainly from December 2021 to February 2024, registering 437 transactions totaling €33,711. Most charges covered restaurants and transport, alongside accommodation, groceries, and cash withdrawals. The UCO says 26 transactions worth €1,630 were linked to locations associated with Cerdán and his family, including Milagro in Navarra and Los Corrales in Seville. Most took place on weekends or national holidays.
The report also mentions speeding fines in 2016 and 2017 linked to a Kia Sportage leased by Servinabar and used by both Koldo García and Cerdán. Investigators believe Cerdán was responsible for the infractions, citing credit-card activity near the time and place of the violations.
The case is part of broader scrutiny of PSOE finances and alleged irregularities. The Guardia Civil’s UCO has previously reported difficulties tracing the origins of suspected secret funds within the PSOE, as detailed in a related investigation into party accounts.
The investigation remains active, with authorities continuing to examine financial flows and Servinabar’s invoices while assessing the roles of political figures and contractors. Judicial scrutiny and the submission of records are procedural developments, not findings of criminal liability. The case could have impressive implications for public trust and oversight of public contracts in Spain.
