Latest news with #Ábalos
Local Spain
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Whistle-blowers and audits: How Spain's PM vows to stamp out corruption
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez this weekend outlined a package of new anti-corruption measures at a Socialist (PSOE) federal committee meeting. The new rules are intended to move the party past a series of scandals implicating high-profile political figures and family members of Sánchez himself. Sánchez's wife, brother, attorney general and two of his former right hand men are being investigated for influence peddling or corruption. The allegations against Begoña Gómez, Sánchez's wife, and his brother, David Sánchez, have long been stuck in initial investigations and appear to be based on questionable legal cases. The so-called 'Koldo' scandal, however, which has so far led to the investigation of Sánchez's former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and the preventive imprisonment of former PSOE organisational secretary, Santos Cerdán, appears to be on a different legal level and has been incredibly damaging for Sánchez and his government. The damning leaked recordings of Ábalos and Cerdán laid bare the kickback for public contracts schemes allegedly operating at the heart of Spain's ruling Socialists. Investigations are ongoing but the recordings have put Sánchez's judgment into question. As such, faced with mounting calls to resign and call elections, Sánchez has attempted to take the problem head on, win some political oxygen and control the media narrative. The proposed new anti-corruption rules come just as the Socialists rolled the headline-grabbing measures, a ban on party officials hiring sex workers. The Socialists' new anti-corruption measures Though the full raft of measures have not yet been announced, Sánchez outlined the main thrust of the new anti-corruption strategy that will be adopted by the PSOE. A big part of this is strengthening 'the balance of power within the party', Sánchez said, promising more shared or co-held positions at the high ranks of the party to introduce a requirement of 'double signatures' to 'prevent an excessive concentration of power,' Sánchez said. Sánchez also proposed regulating the maximum time limits for resolving disciplinary proceedings 'with the obligation to act with the utmost diligence because the speed of these processes is the difference between success and failure,' he said, noting that the party took over a year to conclude the disciplinary proceedings against Ábalos. The Prime Minister also teased new rules to 'improve the governance of the party and guarantee its complete integrity' by creating new anti-corruption protocols. 'I propose drawing up an anti-fraud and anti-corruption protocol, an idea we have taken from the Catalonian Socialist party. It will incorporate new forms of control such as reports on compliance with tax obligations,' Sánchez explained. The Prime Minister also set a goal of updating the organisation's "transparency portal" before the end of the year so that all of this is publicly available. Article 43 of the PSOE's legal statutes will also be amended so that 'declarations of assets are also submitted to the regional ethics and guarantees committees.' This will increase transparency, Sánchez suggested, so that committees can 'forward them [declarations] to the federal committees, which may request updated information on assets, even on a random basis.' He also told the party committee that the PSOE's transparency rules should soon include 'recommendations made to us in the latest reports' by auditors in order to publicly provide all the financial and budgetary information within the party. Sánchez stressed as well that the party will guarantee the anonymity of potential whistle-blowers in order to 'provide protection' and ensure that all party officials 'have an obligation to report any irregularities within the PSOE.'
Euractiv
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Spain's Sánchez fights for survival as crisis reaches fever pitch
MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is running out of ideas and allies to save his socialist party and coalition government as an alleged, "mafia-like" kickback scheme creeps ever closer to his own office. Sánchez received a standing ovation this weekend from the party faithful at their party congress in Madrid, where he was unanimously reaffirmed as leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, widely known by its acronym, PSOE. The display of unity was about damage control, as just hours before Sánchez's close ally, Francisco Salazar, resigned after several women accused him of sexual harassment and abuse of power. He was due to take up the post of deputy secretary in the party's organisational secretariat. Across the city, the opposition Partido Popular (PP) was also holding its own congress, launching a perfectly timed charm offensive to capitalise on Sánchez's political fragility. If elections were held today, the PSOE would lose, according to a survey by 40dB for El País . To make things worse for the socialist prime minister, opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said on Sunday he would not rule out alliances with the far-right Vox party. For Sanchez, the weekend congress was an attempt to turn the page by bringing in new blood after the corruption probe engulfing the party forced one key figure after another to step down. The case began in February 2024 when prosecutors launched an operation to unravel an alleged Covid-era corruption scheme involving bribes connected to mask contracts worth millions. Along the way, prosecutors uncovered a network of kickbacks, rigged tenders, and influence peddling that may extend into the core of Spain's ruling party. The Koldo case Last year, the anti-corruption prosecutor's office ordered the Guardia Civil's top investigative unit to arrest Koldo García, a former advisor to ex-Transport Minister Ábalos, for illicitly granting public awards to private companies in exchange for kickbacks. That arrest opened the door to a wider probe into Ábalos himself, who was already ousted from government in 2021 but clung to his MP seat in the independent group – protected by parliamentary immunity. Then came the testimony from businessman Víctor de Aldama, an alleged middleman between companies and government officials. In December 2024, he told the Supreme Court that Sánchez's right-hand man and PSOE's number three, Cerdán, played a key role in the kickback scheme. But the rot, it turned out, was not confined to pandemic procurement. Investigators have since uncovered suspect contracts in the construction industry, revealing rigged public tenders and illicit payments to companies allegedly linked to Koldo, Ábalos, and Cerdán. Cerdán allegedly received €600,000 kickbacks tied to the improper awarding of public work contracts. One business is also said to have delivered €90,000 in cash directly to PSOE headquarters in Madrid, as reported by Spanish outlet The Objective. Adding to the pressure, Aldama has publicly said more audio recordings, which could implicate the prime minister directly, are likely to be released in the future. Sánchez denies any wrongdoing. A 'bombshell' case The scandal was brought into the spotlight in June when the bombshell police report of the Koldo case was made public. Soon after, the Supreme Court judge ordered the preventative detention of Cerdán under charges of "membership of a criminal organisation, influence peddling and bribery." "It has been a bombshell, nobody expected this dimension, nobody expected that PSOE number three could be involved in a corruption plot," a PSOE spokesperson told Euractiv, adding the socialist party felt "used" by Cerdán. More police reports are expected in July and Koldo and Ábalos are regularly being summoned to testify in court, El Confidencial reported. Tensions inside PSOE have only deepened since Ábalos last week signalled his willingness to negotiate with prosecutors. Ábalos might expose the full scheme to avoid prison, potentially implicating sitting cabinet members and even Sánchez himself. The question gripping Spain's political class is no longer just whether Sánchez can save his party, but whether he can save himself. (mm)
Ya Biladi
04-07-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Spanish corruption probe targets ex-Minister, ties emerge with Morocco bank account
The Central Operations Unit of the Spanish Civil Guard is continuing its investigation into a financial corruption case involving former Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Organization Secretary and former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, as well as PSOE MP and senior official Santos Cerdán, according to Spanish media reports. As part of the investigation, the Spanish Supreme Court has issued an order requesting that Morocco's Bank of Africa provide full details related to a bank account suspected of being linked to the network. The broader probe involves 479 bank accounts across 35 financial institutions, including 12 foreign banks. Although the account in question has a Spanish IBAN and was opened at the bank's Madrid branch, investigators are focusing on the Bank of Africa's headquarters in Morocco. The judicial order specifies that «the requested information must be submitted by the bank's central authority without notifying the branch or office where the account was opened, nor the account holder or any third party, to preserve the confidentiality of the investigation». Authorities have asked for the identification of all financial products tied to the account, including safety deposit boxes, whether held by individuals or legal entities. The account was opened in 2011 and closed in March 2021, just months before Ábalos exited the Spanish government. This is not the only mention of Morocco in the case. In an audio recording dated April 9, 2019, Koldo García, a former advisor to Ábalos, can be heard discussing potential kickbacks for awarding public contracts. «There's also the Morocco issue, that's going to come up, and no one's going to say a word», García said. The recording was made just two and a half months after Ábalos visited Morocco in January 2019, representing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. During that trip, he met with Morocco's Prime Minister and five ministers overseeing infrastructure portfolios. Talks focused on Morocco's high-speed rail project, with Ábalos expressing Spain's interest in contributing through its companies. Discussions also touched on highway development and Casablanca's new tram lines, a project eyed by a Spanish company based in the Gipuzkoa region.
Miami Herald
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Sex, corruption and tapes: Scandal shakes Spain's Socialist government
In 1989, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh shook up cinema with 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape' which explored the darker sides of sexuality, the lies embedded in human relationships and the objectification of women. I bring this up in light of the political crisis shaking Spain, where the Socialist government (PSOE) of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on the edge of a cliff. This time, it's not just lies and sex — it's an alleged corruption scheme involving kickbacks received by top Sánchez advisors in exchange for political favors, mostly related to public works contracts. The scandal has reached deep into the PSOE leadership and continues to unfold. At the center of this scandal are three men: former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos; former PSOE organization secretary Santos Cerdán; and Koldo García, their trusted aide who allegedly handled the dirty money — the commissions that were skimmed off the top and pocketed. These men were instrumental in Sánchez's rise to power and helped consolidate his leadership. But now, their proximity to power makes this all the more damning. And the scandal just deepened Monday: Santos Cerdán was ordered into provisional prison without bail by Spain's Supreme Court. He stands accused of belonging to a criminal organization, accepting bribes, and influence peddling. The judge cited the risk of destruction of evidence and coordinated criminal activity across public institutions. Cerdán now joins Koldo and Ábalos in a fall from grace so severe, even their closest allies have cut ties. The Spanish Civil Guard, in a nearly 500-page report, calls this an organized crime network, and it's inching dangerously close to the prime minister himself. Once welcome at Moncloa Palace, these men are now political poison. Former colleagues who once 'would've put their hand in the fire' for Ábalos and Cerdán now deny ever knowing them. As for Koldo García, he is seen as the operative who got his hands dirty—enriching his superiors, himself, and even his family. In true underworld fashion, García tried to shield himself from the fallout. Knowing the day might come when the whole house of cards collapsed, he secretly recorded conversations with his bosses . These tapes — now in the hands of authorities and partially leaked—are damning. They capture discussions of massive commissions tied to government contracts, awarded to companies willing to pay bribes. The men even quarrel like vultures over how to split the spoils. But it's not just corruption that makes these tapes horrifying. It's also the blatant misogyny. Koldo and Ábalos are caught speaking crudely about the women they allegedly hired for private parties — classifying them by sexual skill, discussing how to divide them and referencing their nationalities (Colombian, Romanian, etc.). The most 'favored' were reportedly assigned apartments. What emerges isn't just kickbacks — but the outlines of a prostitution ring allegedly funded with illicit money. This is especially shocking from a government that touts feminism as a core value. The Sánchez administration has positioned itself as a champion of gender equality, with many female leaders fronting that battle. Listening to these degrading tapes, it's impossible to believe these men reserved their vile language for private chats — it seems embedded in their mindset. And Sánchez, who styles himself a modern, progressive man, surely knew how coarse and sexist these men were. Yet they remained his confidants. Now we wait to see what Sánchez knew — and when. For the moment, he's clinging to victimhood, blaming the opposition for trying to 'bring down a legitimate government.' But legitimacy isn't destroyed from the outside. It's rotted from within. And as for the prime minister's inaction on the misogyny of his closest aides? Let's remember: it's not enough for Caesar's wife to be above suspicion — Caesar himself must be, too. Sadly, many in politics fail that test.
Local Spain
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Local Spain
Spanish police enter ruling Socialist HQ in corruption probe
A police report released last week implicated Socialist heavyweight Santos Cerdán and ex-transport minister Jose Luis Ábalos in receiving kickbacks in the improper awarding of public contracts. In a ruling issued on Friday, a Supreme Court judge ordered the Civil Guard to clone the contents of Cerdán's work email account at the Socialist headquarters. The judge also requested information on Cerdán's bank accounts and wealth, summoning him to testify on June 30th, and instructed officers to clone Ábalos's email account at the transport ministry. The images of police entering Socialist headquarters are damaging for an administration that came to power in 2018 promising to clean up Spanish politics after the rival conservative Popular Party (PP) was convicted in its own graft affair. Cerdán has relinquished his powerful post as Socialist organisation secretary and as an MP. The party has definitively expelled Ábalos. The scandal has shaken the minority coalition with far-left formation Sumar and relations with an array of leftist and regional separatist parties the government depends on to pass legislation. Legal investigations are also underway against Sánchez's wife, brother and Socialist-appointed top prosecutor. But the Socialist premier, one of Europe's longest-serving leftist leaders, has rebuffed demands from the PP and far-right party Vox to resign and call early elections.
