UCO uncovers €500 undeclared by the PSOE
Intercepted messages by the Civil Guard point to the collection of envelopes that the Socialists allegedly justified before the Court of Auditors.
The Civil Guard says it has detected cash deliveries from the PSOE that do not match the documentation the party submitted to the judge.
To investigate, the UCO (Central Anti‑Corruption Office) sent a patrimonial report to the Supreme Court. The report cross‑checks the former socialist leader’s banking and tax data with the paperwork the PSOE and the Congress provided on payments to former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, as well as with conversations of his former adviser Koldo García and photographs, including one of a party‑branded envelope.
After its analysis, investigators say their thesis is reinforced: “the existence of undeclared cash income.” The timing of these cash flows coincides with the events under investigation in the Koldo case, when Ábalos held the transport ministry portfolio.
The report is a key piece in the Supreme Court investigation led by Judge Leopoldo Puente, which accuses Ábalos of alleged crimes such as criminal organization and bribery, among others. The probe also involves former PSOE number 3 Santos Cerdán and Koldo García.
Payments by the PSOE With and Without “Documentary Backing”
Investigators compared the amounts the PSOE announced it had given in cash to Ábalos with images and conversations appearing in the case file, such as those exchanged between Ábalos’s former adviser Koldo García and his then‑partner Patricia Uriz (who is under investigation by the National Court).
“There are certain payments that match the information declared by the PSOE,” the UCO acknowledges, “but other cash payments appear in the evidence that were allegedly made by the PSOE, for which no documentary support or any information exists.”
One illustrative example cited by the UCO involves an envelope addressed to Ábalos, collected by Koldo García in June 2019. According to the PSOE’s statement, the envelope should have contained €321.29 in cash from the party’s cash box. However, the handwritten figure on the envelope’s PSOE‑letterhead shows €826.73, a discrepancy of €505.44.