Alex Trelinski
A SENIOR figure in the PSOE Socialist party has resigned over a corruption probe that could threaten the minority PSOE-led Pedro Sanchez government.
Santos Cerdan, the party’s now-former organisation secretary and its third-ranking figure, is suspected of being an accomplice in the alleged improper awarding of public contracts, according to a newly published judicial report.
The Supreme Court said a Guardia Civil report and an audio recording ‘reveals the existence of consistent evidence’ suggesting that Cerdan acted in collusion with former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos and his ex-adviser, Koldo Garcia in exchange for money.
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The probe suggests that they pocketed a total of €620,000 in bribes with Abalos already under investigation.
Cerdan announced on Thursday afternoon via a statement that he was resigning as the PSOE’s organisation secretary and also as a PSOE deputy in Congress.
He said his departure was ‘the best thing for the PSOE’ and he stressed his innocence.
Cerdan will testify voluntarily before the Supreme Court on June 25.
“I am absolutely not afraid. I am completely certain that I will not be accused of corruption,” he said as he arrived in Congress earlier on Thursday before he resigned.
The leader of the Partido Popular- the main opposition party in Congress- Alberto Nuñez Feijoo described the situation created by the Guardia report as ‘extremely serious’.
Nevertheless he has ruled out for the time being trying to bring down the government via a censure motion.
“We are not going to rush or improvise,” he said.
The PSOE’s coalition partner is the far-left Sumar party led by Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz.
She has called on the PSOE to ‘offer explanations as soon as possible’ about the audio tape obtained by the Guardia Civil.
“What we are learning about is of manifest gravity,” she commented.
The recording apparently contained references of up to four construction companies owing kickbacks to Cerdan, allegedly as payment for rigging public works contracts.
Another Guardia report filed to the court alleges vote-fixing in Sanchez’s election as party leader in 2014.
The ABC newspaper has reported about a tape featuring a conversation between Cerdan and Koldo García in which the former asks the latter to improperly influence the election.
“When I’m done, you can write down the two you’re missing as having voted without anyone seeing you, and you can enter two ballots,” Cerdan is allegedly recorded as saying.
Sanchez’s wife, Begoña Gomez, and his brother, David Sanchez, are also being investigated for corruption in different cases.
Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a “smear campaign” carried out by the right wing to undermine his government.
Felipe Gonzalez, the PSOE prime minister between 1982 and 1996, has joined calls on Sanchez to hold an early general election.
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