Spanish police conducted a raid on the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) in Madrid as part of an expanding corruption investigation. The operation, led by the Guardia Civil’s Central Operative Unit (UCO), aimed to access emails and records of former senior official Santos Cerdán, who resigned last week amid allegations of receiving kickbacks. The probe, known as Operación Delorme, initially focused on improper awarding of public contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic, with over €600,000 in alleged payments identified. Cerdán, along with former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and aide Koldo García, are implicated, with investigations revealing a network of contracts worth millions. Ábalos and García are scheduled to testify before a judge next week, while Cerdán will appear on June 30, 2025. The raid followed a 490-page UCO report, which also highlighted multi-million-euro contracts linked to Mallorca. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, not personally implicated, has apologized publicly and ordered an independent audit of party finances, with results expected later this year. The opposition has called for Sánchez’s resignation, and the case has prompted discussions on political accountability, with no immediate changes to the government’s structure announced.
34news.online
34news.online
