The Secretary of State for Telecommunications, Antonio Hernando, also a former deputy to Pedro Sánchez's chief of staff, admitted to the judge on Monday that he met with Leire Díez, the so-called plumber Hernando, a former member of the PSOE (now a former member), testified in the case concerning the actions of the so-called "patriotic police" against the Spanish president and his daughters. Hernando, who testified as a witness, also explained that he was informed that these police officers had been monitoring Sánchez's family before he took office, according to legal sources consulted by Europa Press. He did not clarify whether this meeting took place just before the Spanish prime minister took five days to reflect on whether or not to resign in the spring of 2024, during the Catalan election campaign. Hernando testified in the case overseen by Judge Arturo Zamarriego, which involves Díez, businessman Javier Pérez Dolset, and journalist Pere Rusiñol as defendants for allegedly seeking compromising information on Civil Guard officers and judges in exchange for favors. However, Leire Díez's version of events has always been that she was working on a journalistic investigation related to the inquiries of the so-called "patriotic police" into Catalan independence and the left. Aside from this case, Leire Díez is also under investigation in the case of the State Industrial Holdings Company (SEPI). within which context she was arrested along with the former president of this entity, Vicente Fernández, under the auspices of a secret case in the National Court investigating public contracts.