MADRID, Spain — The Civil Guard’s Central Operational Unit (UCO) has concluded that an alleged illicit network orchestrated by former senior PSOE official Santos Cerdán was specifically established to shield the Spanish Government, the ruling socialist party, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from the fallout of various judicial investigations.
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According to the investigative dossier reviewed by the National Court, the network was formed in 2024 with the explicit mission of defending the Government and the PSOE by attacking the integrity of judicial proceedings affecting the ruling circle. Judge Santiago Pedraz pinpointed the inception of the alleged syndicate to the days immediately following Pedro Sánchez’s April 2024 public letter announcing a five-day reflection on his continuation in office, a move triggered by the revelation that a judge was investigating the Prime Minister’s wife, Begoña Gómez. The UCO report indicates the network operated until May 2025, shortly before Cerdán was indicted in the separate Koldo corruption case and placed in pretrial detention.
The UCO report identifies Cerdán as the supreme leader of the operation, with former socialist militant Leire Díez serving as the executive head. The network allegedly incorporated several prominent figures, including former Andalusian regional vice president Gaspar Zarrías, alongside Cerdán’s defense attorney Jacobo Teijelo, businessman Javier Pérez Dolset, and lawyer Ismael Oliver. Investigators assert that Cerdán leveraged the PSOE’s own institutional infrastructure to facilitate the group’s activities. The party allegedly bore the costs of the investigated activities from its inception, utilized party personnel for administrative tasks, provided the Ferraz Street headquarters for meetings, and covered logistics such as travel and vehicle rentals. Financial flows were reportedly channeled through a company directed by Zarrías to pay network members.
The primary objective of the alleged criminal organization was to derail or destroy the judicial procedures targeting the Government’s inner circle. In internal communications captured by investigators, Díez allegedly summarized the group’s ultimate goal by stating that her absolute priority was the President. While the network ultimately failed to dismantle the specific judicial probes it targeted, such as the Koldo case involving former Minister José Luis Ábalos, the UCO highlighted the group’s significant capacity for bribery and influence.
🔴 #ÚLTIMAHORA La UCO sostiene que Pedro Sánchez conocía el trabajo de las cloacas del PSOE
— ABC.es (@abc_es) June 3, 2026
✍️ Por @Borjamendez y @JMPoderoso https://t.co/znLyI2tK19
To achieve its aims, the syndicate allegedly offered investigated individuals favorable procedural outcomes, financial rewards, or public sector employment in exchange for compromising intelligence on the judges, prosecutors, and Civil Guard officers handling the cases. Furthermore, the group reportedly provided financial incentives to individuals to alter their judicial testimonies in ways that would benefit the protected political interests, adapting their tactics to the immediate needs of the political moment.
The extensive police investigation prompted Judge Pedraz to authorize raids on the PSOE’s national headquarters on Ferraz Street, the private residences of several suspects, and the business premises of Zarrías’s company. The magistrate is currently investigating potential offenses that range from criminal organization and bribery to prevarication, commercial document forgery, revelation of secrets, influence peddling, and inducement to perjury.
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As the judicial process advances, the National Court will continue to evaluate the extensive documentary and digital evidence gathered by the Civil Guard.
