Spain police spy network in gay saunas tied to Sánchez's family

Police units placed microphones and hidden cameras in gay saunas and brothels in the early 1990s after receiving permission from Sabiniano Gómez, the father of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife, and his uncle Conrado Gómez. The operation, carried out by the Central Operational Support Unit (UCAO), aimed to gather intelligence on judges, politicians, bankers, entrepreneurs and journalists who frequented the venues. The presence of the surveillance equipment was confirmed confidentially by at least three police officials involved in the missions.

Separately, agents of Spain’s civilian intelligence service, the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI), issued a warning to opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, cautioning that a CNI perceived as serving the PSOE could destabilise a future government if the appointment of the next intelligence chief is mishandled.