Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged today a “flagrant and grave case of corruption” involving former officials of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Sánchez stated he was unaware of these activities, asserted he “would never have tolerated” them, and reiterated his firm intention to continue governing.
He described it as “a flagrant and grave case of corruption” by individuals “who took advantage of their influence” within the PSOE and the government “to make money,” while emphasizing that there is no illegal financing within the party itself. Sánchez was referring to former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos, who was sentenced this week to more than 24 years in prison for corruption related to the procurement of face masks during the pandemic while serving in the government.
This initial mask-procurement case has sparked a broader, ongoing investigation that implicates both Ábalos and another former PSOE official, Santos Cerdán—both previously considered close right-hand men to Sánchez.
“I never knew about nor would I have tolerated any of these practices,” Sánchez stated before the national parliament during a session scheduled at his own request to brief lawmakers on the political climate surrounding the recent judicial investigations. He added that both the PSOE and the government fully respect and abide by the judicial rulings handed down this week.
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The Prime Minister and PSOE leader noted he is “fully aware” that recent weeks in Spain have been dominated by “a wave of judicial news” causing “legitimate concern and confusion.” However, he argued that entirely different legal proceedings are being conflated—some with merit and others fabricated based on “rumors and half-truths”—which political and media adversaries “are attempting to equate” to manufacture a “sense of widespread corruption that does not exist.”
In this context, he again separated the confirmed cases or active investigations involving former PSOE officials from the legal situations facing his wife, Begoña Gómez, and his brother, David Sánchez. He maintains they are targets of coordinated actions backed by disinformation campaigns and far-right organizations aiming to weaken his leadership and the government.
He emphasized that the Public Prosecutor’s Office found no grounds for trial or conviction in their cases, and that official judicial and police reports have refuted the allegations against them.
While reiterating his trust in the Spanish justice system and stating that “the vast majority of judges” perform “exemplary work,” Sánchez called for “justice to be served” across all cases. This includes the investigation into former Prime Minister and past PSOE leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is currently indicted for influence peddling and money laundering in a case examining the 2021 public bailout of the airline Plus Ultra.
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Sánchez pointed out that Zapatero has not held political office for 15 years and reiterated that the company’s bailout was legal, transparent, and part of the exceptional aid packages granted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as certified by both national and European authorities. Regarding Zapatero, he stated that “conclusions cannot yet be drawn” given the early stage of the investigation, but reaffirmed his trust in the former leader’s declaration of innocence.
Emphasizing that the PSOE and the government acted “from the very first minute” when suspicions of corruption arose against former officials—notably through suspensions, expulsions, and the implementation of stricter anti-corruption oversight—Sánchez dismissed repeated calls from the opposition for his resignation and early elections, reaffirming his mandate to govern until 2027.
