A National Court ruling describes how a suspected network connected to the PSOE allegedly sought to offer a €300,000 bribe to anti-corruption prosecutor José Grinda. Judge Santiago Pedraz indicates that the proposal was intended to secure information that could undermine Alejandro Luzón, the Chief of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, and to push for the dismissal of significant judicial proceedings.
The judicial document further specifies that the plan was led by Santos Cerdán, former Socialist Organization Secretary, who allegedly directed a network meant to destabilize judicial cases unfavorable to the party and the Government. Within this scheme, Leire Díez, known as “the plumber” of the PSOE, is said to have played a key role in these illicit activities.
The bribe to prosecutor Grinda was reportedly mediated by Pere Rusiñol, a businessman and an external individual to the PSOE, who met with the prosecutor in February 2025 to convey the offer. In addition to the money, Grinda was also promised a job abroad.
New Revelations: Attempts to Bribe and Manipulate Witnesses
The ruling also discloses that businesswoman Carmen Pano was approached with an offer of €50,000 to alter her courtroom testimony. Pano had earlier affirmed that, following instructions from Víctor de Aldama, an alleged intermediary in the “Koldo case,” she handed over €90,000 in cash at the PSOE headquarters in Ferraz in October 2020. Although efforts were made to persuade her to modify her account before appearing again in court, Pano ultimately stood by her original statements before the tribunal.
Lawyer Ismael Oliver, also under investigation, reportedly took the lead in negotiating this bribe with Leire Díez’s authorization. “We must know how to buy,” Díez allegedly stated in a conversation included in the judge’s investigation.
Offers to Officials and Civil Guards
Additionally, the judge details that economic favors and benefits were offered to public officials and Civil Guard members in exchange for information to obstruct corruption investigations. Promises included lawyer fees and professional promotions.
The raid on the PSOE headquarters in Ferraz, mandated by Judge Pedraz and accompanied by additional judicial measures, further reinforces indications that this network aimed to safeguard the political interests of the PSOE and the Government by carrying out unlawful actions against prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement personnel.
Source: El Economista – https://www.eleconomista.es/economia/noticias/13941030/05/26/el-juez-sospecha-que-la-trama-ofrecio-300000-euros-al-fiscal-grinda-para-obtener-informacion-que-afectara-a-luzon.html
