PSOE’s Alleged Funding Controversy: Former Member Leire Díez Under Investigation for Travel and Legal Payments

The Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard has unveiled a troubling report implicating the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in a scheme to finance potentially nefarious activities involving former member Leire Díez. The report details that the PSOE funded up to six round trips for Díez from April to August 2024, the last of which was to meet with former commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, where she allegedly proposed a deal for information. This revelation heralds one of the most challenging weeks for the PSOE since they assumed power in Moncloa. According to the investigation submitted to the National Court, which was accessed by El HuffPost, former PSOE Secretary of Organization Santos Cerdán verbally instructed that any travel requests from Díez be deemed authorized. This 107-page report outlines critical findings regarding the trips financed by the party's structure and associated payments made to law firms and third parties, following the UCO's incursion into PSOE headquarters on May 27, where they confiscated party documents. Judge Santiago Pedraz is leading the investigation, which points to an alleged system financed by PSOE to disrupt ongoing legal challenges facing the party or the government, positioning Cerdán as a key figure while Díez operated in an executive capacity. Furthermore, the UCO has confirmed that Díez kept Cerdán informed about her actions. The report includes a chart illustrating payments made to Díez via a third party, Oliver Ismael, noting a transaction where the PSOE purportedly transferred over 27,000 euros to Oliver Law Firm, subsequently redirected to the former member. The UCO's findings also reveal that documentation seized from Cerdán in Ferraz contained a record of noncompliances allegedly prepared by Díez, marking her clear accountability in matters considered significant for the party’s actions. Examining the invoices from various travel agencies, the UCO traces the first trip funded for Díez back to April 26, 2024, coinciding with her initial meeting with Santos Cerdán at the Ferraz headquarters. The identified journeys include a flight from Madrid to Bilbao on April 26, a train round trip from Madrid to Zaragoza on July 10 with entrepreneur Javier Pérez Dolset—who is also under scrutiny—another flight from Bilbao to Madrid on August 9, and trips from Santander to Jerez de la Frontera on August 20 and back on the 24th, concluding with a round trip between Santander and Madrid on August 26. Significantly, it is noted that during this last trip, Díez was bound for a meeting with former commissioner Villarejo. Reports suggest that during this encounter, she allegedly discussed potential agreements with the Prosecutor's Office concerning information related to judge Manuel Marchena and even considered arranging interactions between Villarejo's attorney and the then Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz. The UCO also emphasizes Díez’s direct management of her travel arrangements, devoid of any oversight or subsequent authorization. One piece of evidence includes an email from a party worker to a travel agency indicating a direct order from the Secretary of Organization to facilitate one of Díez's trips. In regards to the payments associated with lawyer Jacobo Teijelo, who defends Santos Cerdán and is scheduled to testify on June 25, the documents provided by PSOE to the UCO indicate payments totaling 125,000 euros according to invoices and engagement records. Although the hiring process was executed by manager Ana María Fuentes, investigators claim that Cerdán originated the initiative and possibly oversaw the delivery of legal services by Teijelo, which allegedly pertains to hydrocarbons-related matters. Additionally, the report mentions the existence of two invoices from Teijelo totaling 53,000 euros, yet the documentation supporting these invoices is missing from the files supplied by the PSOE. As the investigation unfolds, the ramifications of these findings could significantly impact the PSOE’s standing and the political landscape in Spain. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2