Leire Díez leads Spain's PSOE corruption investigation

Spanish judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional is probing a alleged criminal organisation linked to the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). The case, dubbed “Operación PSOE”, centres on former PSOE militant Leire Díez, who acted as an intermediary for the party, gathering information on judges, prosecutors and members of the Guardia Civil’s Central Operative Unit (UCO). prosecutors say the network, coordinated by ex‑secretary of organisation Santos Cerdán, received payments from companies such as Zaño Sociedad Consultora (four × €4,000) and through law‑firm intermediaries (two × €27,225) to facilitate influence‑peddling and protect the party from judicial scrutiny. High‑level figures indicted include PSOE manager Ana Fuentes, Guardia Civil director‑general Mercedes González and deputy operational director (DAO) Lt‑General Manuel Llamas, as well as executives of the state‑owned SEPI and other public bodies. Separate but related proceedings involve former UCO member Juan Sánchez Yepes, accused of participating in a €148 million VAT fraud scheme in the hydrocarbon sector, highlighting internal control failures within the security force. The prosecutor’s office has also sought to name the PSOE itself as a juridical person in the “cloacas” case, citing alleged prevarication and obstruction of justice by senior officials. The investigation spans more than two dozen public officials and private entrepreneurs, indicating a multi‑year effort to shield the party from legal actions.