Politics
Spanish police raid ruling party headquarters in widening investigation into alleged illegal funding networkA judge is investigating how the PSOE party allegedly used fake invoices to fund efforts to discredit investigations concerning it
Añádenos en Google Journalists waiting in front of the house of former deputy president of the Andalusian regional government Gaspar Zarrías in Madrid on Wednesday. (Esther Vázquez)Melchor Sáiz-Pardo and Mateo Balín
27/05/2026 a las 14:18h.The Guardia Civil carried out an early-morning operation on Wednesday, including entering the ruling party (PSOE) headquarters in Ferraz, as part of an investigation into alleged illegal financing linked to a network under scrutiny for using false invoices and irregular payments.
This separate case adds further pressure on the socialist party, which is already facing scrutiny over an investigation linked to former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Sources close to the investigation on Wednesday said the operation targets a suspected system of diverted funds and fabricated invoices used to finance activities connected to the group led by former PSOE member Leire Díez.
Investigators believe the scheme may have started in spring 2024, after Pedro Sánchez briefly stepped back from public life for several days to reflect on his political future.
According to documents, former PSOE organisation secretary Santos Cerdán allegedly instructed the party's central management team to set up an internal financing structure to support Díez's network. Other figures, including Javier Pérez Dolset and lawyer Jacobo Teijelo, also appear in the investigation.
Guardia Civil material suggests the party may have used a system of false invoices for fictitious services. These allegedly included consultancy work and even a supposed book project linked to investigations into Spain's so-called "deep state".
Investigators say this structure aimed to fund operations designed to discredit ongoing corruption inquiries affecting PSOE figures, including the Koldo case and the investigation involving Sánchez's wife Begoña Gómez. They also allegedly targeted members of the Guardia Civil and the anti-corruption prosecutor.
Judge Santiago Pedraz from the Audiencia Nacional ordered the raids. The Guardia Civil searched the Ferraz headquarters and also entered homes and offices linked to several individuals under investigation, including former deputy president of the Andalusian regional government Gaspar Zarrías, Santos Cerdán and business owner Javier Dolset. All three now appear formally implicated in the case.
Pedraz accuses them of criminal organisation, multiple counts of bribery, disclosure of secrets, inducement to false testimony, false accusation, forgery in commercial documents, abuse of power, influence-peddling and offences against state institutions.
Other suspects
Pedraz is also investigating lawyer Jacobo Teijelo Casanova and Guardia Civil captain Juan Sánchez Yepes for disclosure of secrets, bribery and offences against state institutions.
The involvement of Sánchez Yepes connects directly to one of the most sensitive strands of the investigation: the alleged obtaining or use of confidential information to support operations targeting prosecutors, senior police officers and investigators linked to cases involving the PSOE or the government.
The search of PSOE headquarters represents a significant escalation in a case the Guardia Civil refers to as 'Hirurok' (Basque for "the three"), which allegedly involved steering public contracts, subsidies and awards between 2021 and 2023.
Until now, investigators believed the group relied on its influence over public officials and access to state-linked bodies or state-owned companies to secure favourable decisions, later converting them into private commissions. However, the Guardia Civil are now investigating whether funds were diverted into Díez's network through false invoices and outside standard accounting controls.
The judge considers the alleged criminal activity serious both because of the potential prison sentences and the high value of the financial transactions under investigation. For that reason, he deems the searches and requests proportionate. They extend beyond Ferraz to other suspects, collaborators, legal entities and both public and private organisations named in the three court orders linked to the sealed investigation.
Authorities stress this is a separate line of inquiry from other ongoing cases involving PSOE financing, including investigations into irregular payments linked to former minister José Luis Ábalos and his adviser Koldo García. However, it overlaps in personnel and financial scrutiny.
The Guardia Civil's inquiry remains ongoing, with officers continuing to analyse documents, financial records and digital evidence seized during the raids.