Spain: Civil Guard at PSOE headquarters investigating alleged illicit funds and black market payments

Spanish Civil Guard officers arrived at dawn at the headquarters of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), on Calle Ferraz in Madrid, to acquire documents as part of a judicial investigation under secrecy. The operation, confirmed by several Spanish media outlets and sources familiar with the investigation, concerns an alleged illicit financing scheme and is part of a political landscape already deeply affected by several legal proceedings involving Socialist leaders and former leaders.

The operation ordered by the Audiencia Nacional

According to sources cited by Cadena Ser and the Efe news agency, the intervention was ordered by the Audiencia Nacional and is aimed at gathering information, documents, files, and material useful to investigators. The proceedings, coordinated within the judicial system, are separate from the Plus Ultra case, concerning the airline's financial rescue during the pandemic, despite being heard by the same Spanish national court.

The Leire case and the former militant at the center of the investigation

The investigation is being referred to by Spanish media as the "Leire case," after Leire Díez, a former PSOE activist considered a key figure in the investigation. Arrested in December 2025 and subsequently released under precautionary measures, the woman is at the center of investigations into alleged undeclared payments she received from the party. Investigators are attempting to reconstruct the nature of these flows of money and their possible connection to other judicial cases involving the Socialist wing.

Acquisitions also in the homes of former managers and entrepreneurs

The operations did not only concern the PSOE headquarters. According to judicial sources cited by Efe, the Guardia Civil also carried out raids at the homes of former Vice President of the Andalusian Regional Government Gaspar Zarrías, former PSOE Organization Secretary Santos Cerdán, and businessman Javier Pérez Dolset. Cerdán is already a defendant in the investigation into alleged bribes related to public contracts, known as the "Koldo case."

Cash payments under scrutiny between 2017 and 2024

The core of the investigation concerns cash payments allegedly made within the PSOE between 2017 and 2024 to cover expenses incurred by party leaders, employees, and collaborators. Investigators intend to determine whether these transactions constitute irregularities or criminal charges, especially in light of similar payments attributed to former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and his former advisor Koldo García.

The connection with the Koldo case

The Koldo case represents one of the most sensitive legal fronts for Spanish socialists. The investigation concerns alleged bribes related to the supply of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic. José Luis Ábalos, a former senior figure in the Sánchez government, and Koldo García are involved in a proceeding that has had a significant political impact. Some of the payments under investigation could, according to sources cited by Spanish media, also be considered money laundering.

Sánchez in Rome during the searches

The Guardia Civil's operation was launched while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was in Rome, on the second day of his official visit to Italy, which also included an audience with Pope Leo XIV. The timing of the incident increased the political weight of the case, transforming the judicial intervention into a new measure of pressure on the progressive government led by the Socialist leader.

The PSOE's reaction: "Maximum cooperation"

PSOE spokesperson Montse Mínguez issued a message of "relaxation" and assured investigators of "full cooperation." In an interview with Catalunya Radio, Mínguez stated that the Socialist Party will provide all requested information, maintaining that the PSOE is "not destroying evidence." The spokesperson also denounced what she described as a political and media campaign to discredit the Socialists conducted by the right.

Feijóo attacks the government and calls for early elections

The Popular Party leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, reacted harshly upon his arrival at Congress, describing the situation as "agonizing" and demanding that "the Spanish people be given the floor immediately." The Popular Party president called for early elections and urged the forces supporting the progressive government to consider a motion of no confidence in Sánchez. Feijóo accused the government and the PSOE of being overwhelmed by too many investigations, while reiterating that the Popular Party would not directly present a motion of no confidence supported by Vox, which currently lacks the necessary parliamentary majority.

The government calls for caution and the presumption of innocence

On the executive branch front, Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo reiterated his "zero tolerance" stance toward any irregular or illegal behavior, while calling for respect for judicial proceedings. The government's position aims to avoid an immediate political escalation, while the opposition is attempting to turn the investigation into a crisis of legitimacy for the executive branch.

A new judicial front in the Spanish political climate

The Guardia Civil's intervention at the PSOE headquarters opens a new front in the already complex Spanish political landscape. The acquisition of documents and computer equipment will clarify the nature of the cash payments and their possible criminal implications. Meanwhile, the affair fuels the conflict between the majority and the opposition and increases pressure on Pedro Sánchez's party, which is now called upon to defend its transparency while the investigation continues under secrecy.