Instituto Juan de Mariana estimates €5.4 billion cost of corruption schemes

A report by the Instituto Juan de Mariana (IJM) estimates the economic cost of twelve corruption-related schemes linked to the administration of Pedro Sánchez at 5,432 million euros. The study, based on an analysis of over 2,300 journalistic reports, distinguishes between confirmed cases and ongoing judicial investigations.

Of the total, 2,166 million euros correspond to confirmed facts, including final court sentences, actions by the Court of Auditors, or Tax Agency resolutions. The remaining 3,266 million euros are tied to cases currently under investigation by the UCO, the Prosecutor's Office, and other judicial bodies.

Key quantified cases include 1,250 million euros in accumulated losses at Correos between 2018 and 2023, 750 million euros related to the Plus Ultra rescue via SEPI, and 700 million euros under suspicion in public works related to the Koldo-Ábalos case. Other significant amounts involve aid to Air Europa and Duro Felguera, as well as various contracts and VAT fraud investigations.

The report also identifies approximately 5,000 million euros in public contracts awarded without open competition. However, the IJM chose not to include this figure in the total economic cost to maintain methodological prudence, noting that a lack of transparency does not inherently constitute proof of corruption.