Pedro Sánchez distances himself from the Leire case: "I never had information and I would never have tolerated it"

MadridPedro Sánchez took two days to break his silence after the publication of the Leire case summary. He did so from Montenegro, before participating in the EU-Western Balkans summit, and denied having knowledge of the "alleged plot that was maneuvering to "obstruct" judicial investigations": "I have never known and I have never been informed about the adventures of Leire Díez. Nor did I ever endorse, nor did I ever have knowledge of something that I would never have tolerated," he said. He acknowledged that everything that has become known fills him with "disappointment, concern, and indignation," announced that the PSOE's legal team is studying "what actions will be taken" in "defense of the honorability and cleanliness" of the party and regretted that "the PSOE was used in vain for purposes that have nothing to do with the noble objectives that the party defends and promotes".

The accumulation of cases in the courts does not change the Spanish president's mind, who once again insisted that he will not advance the elections —scheduled for the summer of next year— and ruled out coinciding the general elections with the municipal and regional ones: "We will not allow the corruptions of a few and the interested noise of a cunning opposition to confuse the work of this government and cover up a political project that brings prosperity and social progress". "My government is clean and my party is whole," he reiterated.

A short time before, Minister Félix Bolaños had supported this narrative. In an interview with COPE, he maintained that there is "absolutely nothing" in the summary that "proves" or "leads to believe" that Pedro Sánchez was aware of Leire Díez's activity and movements. The head of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Courts considers that the facts, if confirmed, are "very serious" and believes that the former PSOE member was using the Spanish president's name "to give herself importance".

A short while ago, the former number three of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, also spoke out: "The objective is not to investigate crimes, but to destroy people and ruin the prestige, name, and honorability of certain citizens whom sectors of the State perceive as bothersome," he said in a statement made public a week after it became known that the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard places him at the apex of a "criminal structure." "I claim my innocence and state the most absolute and radical denial of any criminal act attributed to me," he alleges in a statement released this Friday morning.

The former socialist organization secretary accuses the judicial police of "selecting targets" and "directing open operations" with the aim of "finding something that can be used to tarnish his image and undermine his public credibility." "Only in this way can it be understood that my name is successively and progressively circulating in different matters," he alleges, alluding to the purchase of masks, public works contracts, or the financing of the PSOE.

Cerdán denies that there was on his part "any organic relationship and much less of superiority" with the so-called Hirurok group – which the UCO says was made up of Leire Díez, the former president of SEPI Vicente Fernández and the Basque businessman Antxon Alonso – or "any other plot under investigation". And he assures that "there is no message or communication" that he has issued that "allows it to be sustained". Likewise, he recalls that he declared as a witness in the framework of the investigation of the Leire case that was underway in the courts of Madrid and regrets that "no one has given any explanation" about the "necessity and legality of a second parallel investigation".

Marlaska maintains confidence in the director of the Civil Guard

First thing in the morning, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has stood by the Director General of the Civil Guard, Mercedes González, once she has acknowledged having held two meetings – without ruling out a third – with Leire Díez. "She did not have any conversation with Leire related to the plot, absolutely serious matters that make me uncomfortable," she said in statements to the media. "As long as these meetings have been in the form described, I have no reason to doubt it," added the minister, who described himself as "absolutely convinced of the honorability and honesty" of González's work. In the same vein, Pedro Sánchez has conveyed his "confidence and support" to her and has highlighted that she is doing a "very positive" job.

Mercedes González assures that she broke off her relationship with Leire Díez in April 2025, and asked that Commander Rubén Villalba be reinstated, who was removed from the force because he is being investigated in the Koldo case and with whom the PSOE's plumber has met on occasion. Meanwhile, the PP continues its offensive and will force the appearance of the Director of the Civil Guard before the Interior Commission of the Senate. The popular party's objective is for her to resign or be dismissed and to give explanations next week. "Her situation is unsustainable," denounce PP sources.

For their part, the leader of United Left, Antonio Maíllo, believes that the fact that Leire Díez had access to the Director of the Civil Guard "smells bad" and believes that she should resign "if it is confirmed that she has lied". Furthermore, he demands "very clear and transparent" explanations from the PSOE about the events.