Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) encountered heightened scrutiny as part of an ongoing corruption investigation. The Guardia Civil’s Central Operative Unit (UCO) conducted searches on June 20 at the PSOE headquarters in Madrid and the Ministry of Transport, focusing on alleged bribery and influence peddling. The probe centers on Santos Cerdán, the former PSOE Secretary of Organization, who resigned on June 12 after audio recordings allegedly implicated him in discussions about kickbacks for public contracts. Cerdán, the party’s number three, is scheduled to testify before the Supreme Court on June 30, with investigators examining his 45% ownership in Servinabar, a company linked to six multimillion-euro public contracts. Former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos is also under investigation, with evidence suggesting his involvement in a network that secured contracts worth millions, including a €9.3 million nursing home project in Palma that collapsed when the winning company declared bankruptcy. The UCO cloned internal email accounts and is reviewing properties and bank accounts tied to the suspects. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an independent audit of party finances and a leadership overhaul on June 16, appointing four new leaders to address the crisis. The investigation has led to additional resignations, including a PSOE mayor in Cantabria and a Zaragoza councilor, amid findings of 11 years of alleged corrupt activities within the party. Protests outside PSOE headquarters on June 14 underscored public demand for transparency, with no immediate resolution reported.
34news.online
34news.online
