The judge agrees to review Cerdán's audio recordings to determine if they were manipulated.

BarcelonaJudge Leopoldo Puente has accepted the request of Santos Cerdán's defense and will review whether the audio recordings seized from Koldo García have been manipulated. These are the files that served as the basis for the judge's order to place the former number three of the PSOE in pretrial detention. According to the Efe news agency, in an order issued this Thursday, Puente agrees to conduct an expert report to determine that they have not been cut or edited. Cerdán's defense strategy, as explained by ARA, involves dismantling the case that is based mainly on the conversations that have already been made public, in which Cerdán is heard talking with José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García about public works and also prostitutes.

The judge has set a date for July 23rd to obtain certified copies of all audio files under the authority of the court clerk and under conditions that guarantee their authenticity, the judge writes. The audio recordings are on three phones and a recorder, with the certified copy attached to the proceedings and will be provided to the parties upon request. Two specialists from the Digital Engineering Department of the Criminalistics Service (Secrimen) of the Civil Guard have been appointed to conduct the expert analysis, and they will be required to present their conclusions "as quickly as possible."

Thus, the judge has accepted part of the proceedings requested by Cerdán, understanding that "the right of defense of the person under investigation must encompass all the elements taken into account in the case." However, he asserts that it is neither possible nor appropriate at this time to provide a full copy of all the material seized at the home of Ábalos's former advisor, Koldo García. A request also made by Garcia himself and businessman José Ruz, who is also under investigation. The devices seized from Koldo García in February 2024 contain information exceeding 10 terabytes, which would amount to 65 million pages if it were written down.

Links to the Civil Guard

On the other hand, the judge dismissed the other proceedings proposed by Cerdán's defense, considering them neither useful nor prejudicial. Benet Salellas, the lawyer for the former number three of the PSOE, had requested to ask the General Directorate of the Civil Guard for all the collaborations that Koldo García had made with units of the armed force between 2018 and 2024. collaboration with the State security forces and bodies (in particular, with the Civil Guard), in relation to what specific matters and starring in what particular conducts."

The judge has also not agreed to ask the central investigating court number 2 of the National Court to send Cerdán's defense all the proceedings that are being followed. This court is where he is Former Adif president Isabel Pardo de Vera and former Director General of Highways Javier Herrero are charged. The Koldo case, which was already investigating the alleged scheme of irregular awarding contracts carried out by Ábalos and García when they were at the Ministry of Transport, is a matter of concern. The judge believes that, although both cases are linked, if Cerdán wants information from the National Court, he suggests he request to be part of that case as well.