Spain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release of Santos Cerdán (main image), a former senior socialist (PSOE) figure and close confidant of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has been jailed while under investigation for suspected corruption.
The case against Cerdán has deepened a string of graft probes involving members of Sánchez’s former inner circle and family, a pressure that has repeatedly threatened the stability of the already fragile government.
Prosecutors believe Cerdán played a role in a complex scheme of alleged kickbacks tied to the awarding of public contracts. He was taken into provisional custody in late June as part of the inquiry. ALSO READ: Judge orders pre-trial detention for PSOE’s former organisation secretary.
The affair has also drawn in former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, once one of Sánchez’s most trusted allies, plunging the prime minister – who came to office in 2018 vowing to restore integrity in Spanish politics – into one of his most serious political crises. ALSO READ: Spanish PM denies corruption in rowdy senate hearing, calling it a ‘circus’ and ‘witch hunt’.
According to a Supreme Court statement, the investigating magistrate authorised Cerdán’s release after concluding that the danger of evidence being destroyed, the main justification for his detention, had been ‘seriously mitigated’.
Cerdán must now report to the court every two weeks and is barred from leaving Spain. His passport has been seized.
While the ongoing inquiry has ‘strengthened’ indications of criminal activity and ‘opened new lines of investigation’, that development ‘does not justify by itself the continuation of provisional detention’, the court added.
Spanish media reported this week that a fresh police document identifies Cerdán as the ‘intermediary’ responsible for collecting commissions from companies, allegedly taking a 2% cut of each contract.
An earlier police report this year that also implicated him threatened to upend the PSOE-led minority coalition with its left-wing, Sumar.
Meanwhile, separate corruption cases involving Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, and his younger brother, David Sánchez, have continued to dog the government for more than a year.
Despite the mounting accusations, Sánchez has repeatedly dismissed demands from the right-wing opposition that he step down and call early elections. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez vows not to quit, and presents 15-point anti-corruption plan.
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.