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  <channel>
    <title><![CDATA[Ara in English - UCO]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/etiquetes/uco/]]></link>
    <description><![CDATA[Ara in English - UCO]]></description>
    <language><![CDATA[es]]></language>
    <ttl>10</ttl>
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    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The UCO revelations that cast doubt on Ayuso's boyfriend and healthcare in Madrid]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-revelations-of-the-uco-that-call-into-question-ayuso-s-boyfriend-and-healthcare-in-madrid_1_5773985.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/5c674920-4191-4846-b6ed-08a8a929ff49_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>New revelations complicate the situation of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's partner. A report from the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) indicates that a company owned by Alberto González Amador did not have "the necessary means for the provision of consulting services" that it billed to Quirón Prevención, as it was a company for aesthetic and beauty treatments.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-revelations-of-the-uco-that-call-into-question-ayuso-s-boyfriend-and-healthcare-in-madrid_1_5773985.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 19 Jun 2026 05:57:31 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/5c674920-4191-4846-b6ed-08a8a929ff49_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Ayuso's boyfriend, Alberto González Amador, leaving the Madrid courts after testifying]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/5c674920-4191-4846-b6ed-08a8a929ff49_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Alberto González Amador's company did not have the necessary means to provide the services it charged Quirón for]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA["I want Balas dead": the policeman who has become the PSOE's toothache]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/want-balas-dead-the-policeman-who-has-become-the-psoe-s-toothache_1_5760962.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/4d095b43-13ee-4a36-ba46-3e0baeab85a2_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>"Antonio Balas: dangerous". This is one of the various annotations found in the agendas seized from Leire Díez, the main suspect in the latest judicial case affecting the PSOE. It refers to the head of the economic crime department of the Central Operative Unit (UCO), Antonio Balas. He is 52 years old and originally from a town in Badajoz, although this lieutenant colonel forged his career in the Basque Country during the ETA years. "If there is one thing I can say I am a bit of a specialist in, it is the field of criminal investigation," he defined himself in an event in November 2023, three years after taking charge of the UCO's economic crime department with the aim of ending corruption, which he himself defined as "a serious threat [...] to the rule of law and the welfare society".</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ivan Sànchez Clivillé]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/want-balas-dead-the-policeman-who-has-become-the-psoe-s-toothache_1_5760962.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Sun, 07 Jun 2026 11:01:24 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/4d095b43-13ee-4a36-ba46-3e0baeab85a2_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas, head of the UCO's Economic Crime Group, on the right, and José Manuel Alarcón, head of the National Fraud Investigation Office]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/4d095b43-13ee-4a36-ba46-3e0baeab85a2_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Antonio Balas, the head of economic crime at the UCO who has gone from anonymity to being one of the obsessions of Leire Díez's 'plot']]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The director of the Civil Guard assures that she cut off the relationship with Leire Díez after the second meeting]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/marlaska-closes-files-with-the-director-of-the-civil-guard-implicated-in-the-leire-case-summary_1_5757881.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/46694cb4-032f-49c7-b544-c8c727113108_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The director of the Civil Guard, Mercedes González, met with Leire Díez, the main suspect in the latest judicial case affecting the PSOE, even though until now both she and the Spanish government had denied it both in writing – in response to parliamentary questions from the PP – and orally: last week the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, reiterated it, stating that "the director of the Civil Guard has not had any meeting with anyone [...] Not with Leire nor with anyone else". This account changed this Thursday, once the summary of the case being investigated by the National High Court became known. In a statement this Thursday evening, the Civil Guard itself acknowledges at least two meetings —it does not rule out a third— and assures that González cut off the relationship as soon as Díez asked her to reinstate Commander Rubén Villalba, who was removed from the force for being involved in a judicial proceeding.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/marlaska-closes-files-with-the-director-of-the-civil-guard-implicated-in-the-leire-case-summary_1_5757881.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:06:52 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/46694cb4-032f-49c7-b544-c8c727113108_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Mercedes González, accompanied by ministers Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Margarita Robles]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/46694cb4-032f-49c7-b544-c8c727113108_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Marlaska closes files with Mercedes González and denies "any action" to undermine the UCO's work]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[A familiar face to the Civil Guard and the royal family: the Spanish government appoints a new director of the UCO]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-spanish-government-appoints-new-director-of-the-uco_1_5593691.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/17514b7a-c159-413b-9a70-020336822c4f_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The Interior Ministry, through the Director General of the Civil Guard, has appointed Colonel Pedro Merino Castro as the new head of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, replacing Colonel Rafael Yuste, according to reports. <em>Eldiario.es</em> And ARA has been able to confirm this through ministry sources.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[N.R.M]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-spanish-government-appoints-new-director-of-the-uco_1_5593691.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:55:53 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/17514b7a-c159-413b-9a70-020336822c4f_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Civil Guard officers in an archive image.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/17514b7a-c159-413b-9a70-020336822c4f_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[Pedro Merino Castro will be the new head of this unit, replacing Colonel Rafael Yuste.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The Spanish government triggers the change of leadership at the UCO of the Civil Guard]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-spanish-government-triggers-the-change-of-leadership-at-the-uco-of-the-civil-guard_1_5579592.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f1b1beb1-3849-4199-a180-008cba2d3e19_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>A reshuffle is underway at the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, instigated by the Spanish government. The Council of Ministers will approve tomorrow the promotion of Colonel Rafael Yuste Arenes to Brigadier General, which will entail his departure as head of the UCO, according to reports. <em>Eldiario.es</em> and government sources confirm to ARA. The UCO is the specialized unit that, among other things, is participating in the investigation of the legal cases surrounding Pedro Sánchez – for example, <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-people-s-party-pp-demands-sanchez-s-immediate-appearance-in-the-cerdan-case-and-is-already-calling-for-resignations_1_5409209.html">prepared the report</a> which led to the indictment of Santos Cerdán or <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-civil-guard-claims-that-the-attorney-general-deleted-the-messages-the-day-the-supreme-court-indicted-him_1_5280787.html">accredited</a> that the Attorney General deleted the messages from his mobile phone the day the Supreme Court indicted him—. Rafael Yuste had been in charge of the UCO for two and a half years—he arrived in June 2023 replacing Alfonso López Malo—and has now been promoted after passing the course and ranking first in his class in the evaluation.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Martí Odriozola i Marcé]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-spanish-government-triggers-the-change-of-leadership-at-the-uco-of-the-civil-guard_1_5579592.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 01 Dec 2025 15:45:58 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f1b1beb1-3849-4199-a180-008cba2d3e19_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Director General of the Civil Guard, Mercedes González, preside over the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar in Cuenca.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f1b1beb1-3849-4199-a180-008cba2d3e19_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The Supreme Court judge summons six experts to resolve doubts about the authenticity of Koldo García's audio recordings]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The UCO identifies Cerdán as the "liaison" between the Spanish government and Acciona.]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-uco-identifies-cerdan-as-the-liaison-between-the-spanish-government-and-acciona_1_5565701.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/fda10b1a-329c-4e92-907f-a101f7afd194_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x1377y409.jpg" /></p><p>The Civil Guard and the Supreme Court are making progress in the investigation of the Cerdán case. While the former Secretary of Organization of the PSOE has been in Soto del Real prison for almost five months, a new report from the Central Operational Unit (UCO) places him as a "liaison" between the Ministry of Transport and Acciona, the construction company allegedly involved in irregular public works contracts. In return, he or his associates received "personal profit" from Servinabar, the company linked to Santos Cerdán (according to the UCO). <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-uco-submits-the-cerdan-and-servinabar-contract-to-the-supreme-court-it-bought-45-of-the-stake-for-6-000-euros_25_5422080.html" >bought</a> 45%, a version whose defense <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/cerdan-s-defense-says-the-contract-to-purchase-45-of-servinabar-had-no-effect_25_5422191.html" >denies</a>), which had a close economic link with Acciona. The Civil Guard report, to which ARA has had access, was the trigger for the <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-uco-searches-several-acciona-offices-in-connection-with-the-abalos-case_1_5561682.html">records from last week</a> at different Acciona and other locations <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-judge-summons-three-new-suspects-in-the-abalos-case-following-the-search-at-acciona_25_5565447.html" >indictment of three executives</a> Those linked to the company have been summoned to testify on December 3rd.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Martí Odriozola i Marcé]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-uco-identifies-cerdan-as-the-liaison-between-the-spanish-government-and-acciona_1_5565701.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:44:59 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/fda10b1a-329c-4e92-907f-a101f7afd194_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x1377y409.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Santos Cerdán]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/fda10b1a-329c-4e92-907f-a101f7afd194_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0_x1377y409.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The Civil Guard maintains that the construction company paid Servinabar 2% of the awarded contracts and details the "considerations" received by the former PSOE leader and his entourage.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The UCO indicates that Aldama may have influenced the Canary Islands government of Minister Ángel Víctor Torres through Koldo]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-uco-indicates-that-aldama-may-have-influenced-the-canary-islands-government-of-minister-angel-victor-torres_1_5549804.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/4bd73bf3-5463-4031-9067-7ccc0beaf75d_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>A new report from the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard points to the "influence" that commission agent Víctor de Aldama may have had on the Canary Islands government of Ángel Víctor Torres (PSOE), the current Minister of Territorial Policy, in the purchase of contracts for masks and antigen tests during the pandemic. Specifically, the UCO report, presented this Monday to the National Court and accessed by ARA, indicates that Aldama's influence was exerted through the former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, and his former advisor, Koldo García. Thus, the Canary Islands government of Ángel Víctor Torres would be implicated, according to the UCO report, in the alleged corruption scheme surrounding Aldama, Ábalos, and Koldo, which originated in alleged illegal payments for the purchase of masks during the pandemic. For this reason, the People's Party (PP) has called for the minister's immediate dismissal.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[ARA]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-uco-indicates-that-aldama-may-have-influenced-the-canary-islands-government-of-minister-angel-victor-torres_1_5549804.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:36:14 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/4bd73bf3-5463-4031-9067-7ccc0beaf75d_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Minister Angel Victor Torres in the Senate.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/4bd73bf3-5463-4031-9067-7ccc0beaf75d_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[A new report from the Civil Guard includes messages from the current PSOE minister regarding the purchase of face masks, and the PP is calling for his dismissal.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[State of democratic emergency]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/opinion/state-of-democratic-emergency_129_5413691.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/da00c4fc-0c91-428d-985b-92ba30fdbc50_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_1050363.jpg" /></p><p>We have reached the climax, the collective orgasm of total disaster. After weeks, months, and years of news about successive and respective cases affecting the two major Spanish parties, we have reached the peak of the scandal with the publication of the report by the Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO), on the commissions allegedly received and shared by the magnificent trio Koldo-Ábalos-Cerdá.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ernest Maragall i Mira]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/opinion/state-of-democratic-emergency_129_5413691.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 16 Jun 2025 16:43:04 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/da00c4fc-0c91-428d-985b-92ba30fdbc50_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_1050363.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[The Congress of Deputies in a file image.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/da00c4fc-0c91-428d-985b-92ba30fdbc50_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_1050363.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Sacrificing his own people to resist Moncloa]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/sacrificing-his-own-people-to-resist-moncloa_129_5410240.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f800890e-21b3-47ff-bfa1-262064cc4d48_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Faced with the devastating report from the UCO, the Civil Guard unit leading the investigation into the Koldo case, Pedro Sánchez had only one option to try to protect himself in the Moncloa Palace. Repeat with Santos Cerdán, his right-hand man until now, the same operation he already carried out with José Luis Ábalos, his previous right-hand man: portray him as a rotten apple within the party, distance himself from his organization secretary, and dispel suspicions that this is a case of systemic corruption by the PSOE and the government, despite the fact that <a href="https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-people-s-party-pp-demands-sanchez-s-immediate-appearance-in-the-cerdan-case-and-is-already-calling-for-resignations_1_5409209.html" >in the Civil Guard report.</a> </p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Núria Orriols]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/sacrificing-his-own-people-to-resist-moncloa_129_5410240.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 13 Jun 2025 05:01:08 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f800890e-21b3-47ff-bfa1-262064cc4d48_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Pedro Sánchez during the appearance]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/f800890e-21b3-47ff-bfa1-262064cc4d48_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[The Civil Guard searches Ábalos's home in Valencia: "I'm not worried."]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-civil-guard-searches-abalos-s-house-in-valencia_1_5406817.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/bda001de-c6d3-45f5-98da-28035d0fdd57_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>The Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard searched the home of former Socialist minister José Luis Ábalos in Valencia for more than nine hours on Tuesday. The search of the home of the now deputy of the mixed group, ordered by Judge Leopoldo Puente, is part of the investigation opened against him in the Supreme Court for the Koldo case, involving alleged cash and in-kind commissions in exchange for contracts for medical supplies and public works during the pandemic. Civil Guard sources specified that the investigation falls under a separate, secret file.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Andrea Zamorano]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/politics/the-civil-guard-searches-abalos-s-house-in-valencia_1_5406817.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 10 Jun 2025 08:48:04 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/bda001de-c6d3-45f5-98da-28035d0fdd57_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Former minister José Luis Ábalos at the door of his home after the Civil Guard search.]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/bda001de-c6d3-45f5-98da-28035d0fdd57_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[The agents have taken several digital memory cards and cloned the former minister's mobile phone in the Koldo case before the Supreme Court.]]></subtitle>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title><![CDATA[Grotesque in Madrid]]></title>
      <link><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/editorial/grotesque-in-madrid_129_5402021.html]]></link>
      <description><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/fab07cd2-ee1b-4d88-8939-4e650fdcae99_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" /></p><p>Ramón del Valle-Inclán (Vilanova de Arousa, 1866 - Santiago de Compostela, 1936) was a key figure in Spanish literature in the first third of the 20th century with works such as<em> Lights of Bohemia</em>, where she develops the theory of the grotesque. Since then, this word has been used to define tragicomic spectacles such as the one witnessed this Wednesday in a Madrid hotel with the appearance of the now former PSOE member Leire Díez and the appearance of the businessman accused of corruption, Víctor de Aldama, to rebuke her. But let's take it one step at a time.</p>]]></description>
      <dc:creator><![CDATA[Editorial]]></dc:creator>
      <guid isPermaLink="true"><![CDATA[https://en.ara.cat/editorial/grotesque-in-madrid_129_5402021.html]]></guid>
      <pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 04 Jun 2025 19:37:12 +0000]]></pubDate>
      <media:content url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/fab07cd2-ee1b-4d88-8939-4e650fdcae99_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg" type="image/jpeg"/>
      <media:title><![CDATA[Businessman Victor de Aldama confronts former PSOE member Leire Díez]]></media:title>
      <media:thumbnail url="https://static1.ara.cat/clip/fab07cd2-ee1b-4d88-8939-4e650fdcae99_16-9-aspect-ratio_default_0.jpg"/>
      <subtitle><![CDATA[]]></subtitle>
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