Leire Díez investigation: Judge summons associate to clarify prosecutor meetings

An investigation into former PSOE member Leire Díez has entered a new phase as Judge Arturo Zamarriego seeks to clarify the nature of her meetings at the headquarters of the Spanish Prosecutor General's Office. The judge has summoned a close associate of Álvaro García Ortiz to testify regarding the content, attendees, and potential coordination behind these encounters.

Díez, who is being investigated for alleged bribery and influence peddling alongside businessman Javier Pérez Dolsety and journalist Pere Rusiñol, has denied any intention to destabilize judicial proceedings or benefit the PSOE. In a legal filing, her defense maintains that her actions were part of a journalistic investigation and denied any "spurious purpose."

The probe focuses on suspected maneuvers targeting judges, prosecutors, and officials of the Civil Guard's Central Operative Unit (UCO). Additionally, Díez's legal team has appealed the refusal to conduct certain proceedings, including questioning a potential leaker of an audio recording from a February 2025 meeting and requesting access to Civil Guard database logs regarding her.