Former PSOE Secretary Denies Corruption Allegations Amid Political Turmoil

Santos Cerdán, the former Secretary of Organization of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), vehemently denied his involvement in the distribution of bribes or any irregular contract awards during a recent statement before Spain's Supreme Court. Cerdán claims that the legal proceedings against him are a result of political persecution, notably for having engaged in negotiations with the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) and EH Bildu, a leftist party in the Basque Country. During his testimony, which was a part of a broader investigation into alleged corruption activities including criminal organization and bribery, Cerdán faced a request from the Prosecutor's Office for his provisional imprisonment without bail. He suggested that this political witch hunt might extend to Félix Bolaños, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, for his dealings with Junts, a Catalan pro-independence party. Cerdán categorically rejected accusations linking him to a suspected scheme involving the fraudulent allocation of public contracts and questioned the validity of recorded conversations that allegedly implicated him. The audios, reportedly featuring Koldo García, a former advisor to José Luis Ábalos, contained discussions about monetary exchanges that Cerdán disputes. He announced plans to present an expert report to back his claims. This marks Cerdán's first testimony as an individual under investigation, following a Civil Guard report that connected him to the corruption case. In light of these allegations, he has resigned from all his roles within the PSOE and given up his deputy seat in the Spanish Parliament. Cerdán is now left waiting for Judge Leopoldo Puente to rule on the precautionary measures against him. Notably, other implicated individuals in this case have not been subjected to imprisonment; however, they face travel restrictions, must check in with the court every 15 days, and have had their passports revoked. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2