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 also notes that the plan was overseen by Santos Cerdán, the former Socialist Organization Secretary, who is reported to have orchestrated a network designed to interfere with judicial proceedings that could disadvantage the party and the Government. In this framework, Leire Díez, widely referred to as “the plumber” of the PSOE, is described as having held a pivotal role in carrying out these unlawful operations.
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 explains that public officials and Civil Guard members were allegedly offered various economic incentives and favors in return for information aimed at hindering corruption inquiries, with promises that included payment of legal expenses and opportunities for career advancement.
The search of the PSOE headquarters in Ferraz, ordered by Judge Pedraz, along with other judicial actions, strengthens evidence that this network sought to protect the political interests of the PSOE and the Government through illegal acts against prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers.
Source: Report by 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
