FLASH NEWS
Anti-corruption structures in Spain raid the headquarters of Prime Minister Sánchez's party
2026-05-27 17:09:21 / BOTA
Spain's anti-corruption police raided the headquarters of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party in Madrid on Wednesday. According to Spanish media, agents from the Central Operations Unit (UCO), an elite structure of the Civil Guard, were sent to collect evidence as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal financing of the ruling party.
The audit comes just a week after the National Court indicted former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a key ally of Sánchez and a historic figure of the Spanish Socialists, for money laundering, influence peddling and other criminal offenses related to the financial rescue of the airline Plus Ultra in 2021.
According to El Confidencial, the UCO operation was authorized by the National Court and is linked to another investigation, separate from the Zapatero case, that is being overseen by Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Spanish judicial authorities did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.
Sánchez's fragile minority government has come under intense pressure since news of Zapatero's indictment broke. The regionalist parties that enabled the left-wing coalition to form a government in 2023, and which have been crucial in passing laws in parliament since then, have become increasingly wary of their ties to the prime minister and the Socialist Party, which has been hit by a series of corruption scandals over the past year.
Aitor Esteban, the leader of the Basque Nationalist Party, said on Sunday that Sánchez should call early elections before the end of the year, arguing that it would be 'very difficult' for the prime minister to stay in power until the end of the current parliamentary term in August 2027.
'There are already nine open cases, now Zapatero,' he said. 'It would be irresponsible to continue beyond 2026 without direction, without a budget, without a stable majority and with an out-of-control agenda filled with lawsuits.'
However, that year-end deadline could come even closer after Wednesday's raid on the Socialist Party headquarters. Another key Sánchez ally, Gabriel Rufián of the Republican Left of Catalonia, said on Monday that the "red line" for his party would be evidence of widespread corruption in the form of illegal party financing.
Rufián recalled that after the center-right Popular Party was proven to have benefited from a massive bribery and corruption scheme, his party supported the 2018 no-confidence motion that ousted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. 'We would have called elections if there was a similar case with the Socialists,' he said. 'It's the logical thing to do.' /Politico.eu
Happening now...
ideas
Enver-Sali!
Nga Indrit Vokshi
Idolaters and idolatry have nothing to do with democracy!
Nga Ardi Stefa
top
Alfa recipes
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128