Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday firmly denied any connection to an alleged effort to interfere with investigations involving his inner circle and the Socialist Party (PSOE), as controversy surrounding the claims continued to intensify pressure on his government.
The affair has gathered momentum following allegations involving former PSOE activist Leire Díez. The case took a significant turn after police officers entered the party’s headquarters in Madrid on 27 May as part of a search for documents linked to the investigation. ALSO READ: Spanish anti-corruption police seize documents from ruling socialist party HQ.
Media scrutiny escalated further in recent days after the release of findings contained in a Guardia Civil report and an order issued by the judge leading the inquiry. Together, the documents fuelled widespread coverage of the alleged activities of Díez and former senior socialist figure Santos Cerdán.
According to investigators, a coordinated structure was allegedly established around Díez and Cerdán with the objective of influencing or disrupting sensitive legal investigations involving Sánchez, members of his entourage and the socialist party itself. ALSO READ: Supreme Court releases ex-ally of PM implicated in corruption probe, but is barred from leaving Spain.
Speaking during an EU summit with Balkan leaders in Montenegro, Sánchez rejected any suggestion that he had been involved.
‘I never endorsed, nor did I ever have any information, nor did I ever have knowledge about something that I would have never tolerated,’ he told reporters in the coastal town of Tivat.
Investigators believe the origins of the suspected operation can be traced back to the spring of 2024, shortly after Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, became the subject of an investigation into alleged influence peddling. ALSO READ: Spain’s public prosecutor’s office urges dismissal of case against PM’s wife.
Several months later, audio recordings allegedly captured Díez and other suspects discussing what they described as an instruction originating from Sánchez that ‘everything must be cleaned up’.
The investigation alleges that the scheme contemplated offering payments or favours to members of the Guardia Civil and prosecutors ‘in exchange for information or acts contrary to the performance of their duties’.
Investigators are also examining the relationship between Díez and Mercedes González, a former socialist activist and elected politician who was appointed director general of the Guardia Civil in 2024 on the government’s recommendation.
Authorities believe the two women met on multiple occasions during 2024 and 2025. Evidence gathered during the investigation indicates that Díez referred to her ‘friendship’ with González and highlighted the level of ‘trust’ between them.
On Thursday evening, the Guardia Civil issued an unusual public statement via the Interior Ministry rejecting any suggestion that González had ever ‘participated in any operation against any Guardia Civil unit’ or ‘interfered in any investigation performed by’ officers of the force.
While acknowledging that González and Díez had met, the Guardia Civil insisted that their conversations did not concern the organisation’s investigative work.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska also defended González on Friday, telling reporters in Madrid that she ‘had no contact with Leire during which there was any conversation, any link to the plot’.
Other recorded conversations cited in the investigation refer to an individual identified as ‘The One’, a nickname that Guardia Civil investigators believe could be a reference to Sánchez.
Meanwhile, mentions of ‘S’ are thought to point to Cerdán, who served as the PSOE’s influential organisation secretary before becoming the subject of a separate investigation last year concerning the alleged irregular awarding of public contracts.
Cerdán has maintained his innocence in both cases.
The allegations come against the backdrop of a series of separate scandals that have touched Sánchez’s wife, his brother David Sánchez, former senior socialist officials and former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, one of the most prominent figures on Spain’s political left. ALSO READ: Judge delays Zapatero’s Plus Ultra testimony as police seize jewellery and luxury watches from safe.
The succession of controversies has proved politically damaging for Sánchez, who came to power in 2018 pledging to clean up Spanish politics after the right-wing People’s Party (PP) was itself convicted in a major corruption case.
Despite growing criticism and repeated calls from opposition parties to resign and trigger an early election, Sánchez has remained defiant, insisting that his minority coalition government will continue in office until the next scheduled general election in 2027. ALSO READ: Andalusia leaves Sánchez politically weakened as Spain edges further towards a PP-Vox era.
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#ÚLTIMAHORA | Sánchez siente “decepción e indignación” tras las últimas informaciones y es “muy claro”: “Nunca he conocido ni nunca se me ha informado sobre las andanzas de Leire Díez. Nunca lo hubiera tolerado. Que los ciudadanos no tengan ninguna duda” pic.twitter.com/fadN5fmvoK
— Europa Press (@europapress) June 5, 2026
Grande-Marlaska mantiene que la directora de la Guardia Civil, Mercedes González, “no mantuvo” contacto con Leire Díez en relación a la trama de espionaje a jueces y agentes para sabotear investigaciones contra el PSOE y el entorno de Pedro Sánchez https://t.co/oDjyczL6BV https://t.co/cizsehe6cD
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) June 5, 2026
Interior admite ahora que la directora de la Guardia Civil, Mercedes González, se reunió en varias ocasiones con Leire Díez, la supuesta fontanera del PSOE https://t.co/Pj1z6JyXfP pic.twitter.com/EhI1QoxGUD
— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) June 5, 2026
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