Spain's Audiencia Nacional Judge Opens Probe into PSOE Finances

Judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional ordered the creation of a separate investigative unit so the Civil Guard's Central Operational Unit can examine up to 80 bank accounts, including six belonging to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). The move is linked to the Leire Díez case, which investigates a alleged scheme to destabilise judicial proceedings affecting the PSOE and the family of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. While the investigation does not yet constitute formal charges against the party as a legal entity, it seeks to determine whether the accounts were used to channel funds or facilitate money‑laundering related to the alleged plot.

The judge specified that any information unrelated to the case should be excluded, and he requested documentation of the party’s expenses from 2017 to 2024. This step follows earlier judicial actions that opened separate inquiries into the party’s finances, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of the PSOE’s financial practices.