ANALYSIS
Spain: Pedro Sánchez's socialist government, drowning in corruption
The case of Santos Cerdán, the president’s unwavering ally, is the latest in a list of those under investigation for corruption, which even includes his wife.
The people investigated for corruption in Pedro Sánchez's entourage.
Publicly wearing a completely drawn, tense expression, Pedro Sánchez delivered the toughest press conference he has faced since taking office as Spain’s Prime Minister back in 2018. The PSOE’s Secretary of Organization—and one of the Socialist leader’s most trusted aides—Santos Cerdán, resigned both his party posts and his seat in the Congress of Deputies after authorities released a report designating him as the head of a “criminal organization.”
"I want to apologize because until this very morning I was convinced of Santos Cerdán's integrity. I knew absolutely nothing," Sánchez said in his appearance, adding that he "never" should have trusted a man who has been one of his great supporters during his political career.
The report of the Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO) shows "consistent indications about the possible participation" of Cerdán in the "undue" awards of public contracts, for which he received large amounts of money. Specifically, hundreds of thousands of euros.
"I have decided to resign from all my positions," Cerdán stated in a brief press release he sent after the UCO report was made public. He added that he "has never committed an illegality"; a claim he has maintained since the authorities began investigating him, but which has less and less foundation.
Sánchez's closest entourage, investigated for corruption
Cerdán is the latest case that reflects that Sánchez is not surrounded by the most appropriate environment for a Spanish prime minister. Others of his stalwarts—both comrades in the PSOE to whom he even handed over the command of ministries and several of his closest family members—are under investigation for various corruption schemes and other alleged crimes.
Santos Cerdán, former secretary of Organization of the PSOE.
The UCO report points out that Cerdán is allegedly involved in a case in which the names of former Transport Minister and former right-hand man of Sánchez, José Luis Ábalos, also appear, as well as a former advisor of his, Koldo García, and businessman Víctor de Aldama.
Justice is trying to determine whether Ábalos, García and Cerdán were in charge of acquiring, in an irregular way, masks and other sanitary materials to face the covid-19 pandemic, apart from awarding public contracts in exchange for illegal commissions coming from Aldama.
Another of the people from Sánchez's circle who is being investigated is Álvaro García Ortiz. Spanish Justice is trying to find out whether the state attorney general, appointed to the post in 2022 after being put forward by the government, was in charge of leaking to the media information about a possible case of tax fraud committed by businessman Alberto González Amador.
It turns out that González Amador is the boyfriend of the president of the Community of Madrid region and one of Sánchez's main political rivals, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Justice is investigating whether García Ortiz participated in that leak not only to prosecute the businessman, but also whether it was done deliberately to try to provoke the fall of Díaz Ayuso.
Who is also being investigated is Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, for alleged corruption and influence peddling. Allegedly, Gómez took advantage of her condition to get to direct at the Complutense University of Madrid a master's degree and obtain private funding for it. For this case, the President of the Government has had to testify before the courts.
Pedro Sánchez and Begoña Gómez
Another of Sánchez's relatives who is alleged to be involved in criminal activity is his brother. The courts charged David Sánchez—known as David Azagra—for a case of alleged influence peddling to work in a public institution in the region of Extremadura.
The latest case—for now—linked to Sánchez's entourage is that of Leire Díez, a PSOE member nicknamed La Fontanera who found herself in the eye of the hurricane when the press published some conversations of hers with a commander of the Civil Guard and a businessman who are being investigated for corruption.
In those dialogues, Díez seems to look for compromising elements about those agents investigating corruption and serious crimes of members of the PSOE or of Sánchez's circle, promising in exchange a benevolent treatment from Justice to her interlocutors.
Sánchez does not resign; the opposition calls for his departure
However, more and more Spaniards are demanding his resignation. So is the opposition. For example, the president of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, published a video on social networks to ask Sánchez to resign and call early elections.
"The time has come to put an end to the flight. Surviving is no longer an option. It is not credible that the Sánchez who controls everything in his government and in his party, did not know anything. In any case, he must call elections immediately. He has been left in an impossible situation and must assume it as soon as possible", affirmed Núñez Feijóo. The PP called last Sunday a demonstration in Madrid, attended by hundreds of thousands of people, to demand the departure of the president of the Government.
For his part, the leader of VOX, Santiago Abascal -who was in Asunción (Paraguay) participating in the Foro Madrid at the time when the UCO uncovered Cerdán's report- pointed out that the Government is "a mafia gang of criminals".
"The news we are hearing only confirms what we have been denouncing for seven years: the Government is a cesspit of corruption, a pestilent swamp, a mafia gang of criminals. I appeal to all honest deputies to push for a motion of censure," reiterated Abascal. "It is necessary to corner Sánchez."
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