Police could not establish who created the forged PCR test alleging that Salvador Illa had coronavirus. On 5 November 2026, Spain’s Supreme Court archived the criminal investigation into Alvise Pérez, finding no sufficiently consistent evidence that he made the document or knowingly circulated it as false.
The police report, revealed by elDiario.es, traced the document to a Twitter account apparently based in Asturias. Its owner was unknown, and investigators found no connection between that account and Pérez. The test appeared online before he shared it, leaving its authorship and initial distribution unattributed.
That distinction was central to the decision by investigating judge Javier Hernández. The question was not whether the PCR document was genuine, since it was false, but whether evidence connected Pérez to its creation or showed that he knew it was fabricated when he shared it. Pérez testified before the Supreme Court in June 2025 and denied creating the document, saying it was already circulating widely. He later deleted his post. The judge said that could indicate carelessness in sharing it, but did not establish that Pérez knew the test was false.
Because Pérez is a member of the European Parliament, the court considered whether the evidence justified requesting a suplicatorio, the formal request to lift an MEP’s immunity. Hernández concluded that the file did not contain sufficient indications to take that step, so the case ended before any immunity-waiver request. The ruling did not identify who made the forged test. It may be appealed before the investigating judge or the Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber.
The document claimed Illa had tested positive for coronavirus during the Catalan election campaign, when he was the PSC candidate and a central participant in televised campaign debates. The false health record threatened to affect his participation in those debates.
The case also included allegations of insults. The judge concluded that the publication did not meet the criminal threshold of serious humiliation, grave contempt or discredit. The order left open the possibility of civil proceedings to protect personal rights, although the criminal route was closed.
The source account also listed five other criminal investigations involving Pérez. They include alleged irregularities in financing his 2024 campaign and cases concerning harassment of two fellow MEPs. Other allegations concern a prosecutor in València and the mayor of Algeciras. The PCR ruling dealt only with this file and did not resolve those separate proceedings.
A separate Supreme Court judge has sought the European Parliament’s permission to prosecute Pérez over alleged incitement during the 2024 farmers’ protests. The court has handled politically connected complaints differently from case to case: it previously rejected requests to investigate Pedro Sánchez over Ceuta, saying the filings did not identify each minister’s role, as described in that court ruling.
In the farmers’ protest case, the judge says Pérez called for road closures and the blocking of city access and logistics centres, as well as coordinated action capable of seriously affecting public order.
