Retired officer Rafael Salvador has testified before the judge that the former socialist member boasted of acting on behalf of 'the one who commands most' in relation to the ERE case.
Retired National Police officer Rafael Salvador testified this Friday before National Court judge Santiago Pedraz that he held several meetings with former socialist member Leire Díez to discuss the 'ERE case'. According to legal sources, Salvador claimed that Díez boasted of acting on orders from 'high spheres' with the aim of destabilising judicial cases affecting the Government and the PSOE.
Meetings and alleged maneuvers against Judge Alaya
Salvador, who was responsible for the National Police Unit assigned to the courts in Seville, detailed that he met with Díez on several occasions. During those meetings, the former member allegedly mentioned her intention to write a book, but the conversation later shifted to judicial cases linked to the PSOE.
According to the former police officer's testimony, Díez even told him:
'You don’t know who sends me, I’m sent by the one who commands most.'Salvador asserted that he replied as if 'the Pope was sending her', not giving much importance to the statement.
The meetings reportedly revolved around the figure of magistrate Mercedes Alaya, the instructor of the 'ERE case' who reopened the 'Aznalcóllar case'. In this latter case, former SEPI president Vicente Fernández was prosecuted and acquitted, and is also implicated in the 'Leire Díez case'.
The UCO found recordings and a folder with audios
Salvador's testimony comes as part of the investigation led by Judge Pedraz into the alleged operation led by former socialist leader Santos Cerdán and coordinated by Díez. The Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard has provided a report indicating that Salvador met with Díez to obtain 'information that could compromise magistrate Alaya and to question the investigations she conducted'.
Investigators discovered a folder titled '22 RECORDINGS RAFAEL SALVADOR' in a Drive account, which contained audios of conversations between Díez and Salvador. In one of them, according to the UCO, Díez asked him:
'What can we uncover about her? I mean, I need four things that allow me two impacts, and I’ll follow up with a book, okay?'
Salvador has denied that Díez asked him for information or offered him anything in return, and has asserted that, in any case, he would not have accepted. The former police officer insisted that the meetings were due to her writing a book, although the content later focused on judicial matters.
Implications for the case and upcoming judicial steps
Salvador's statement reinforces the instructor's hypothesis of an alleged plot to discredit Judge Alaya and obstruct the ERE investigation. Judge Pedraz continues to take witness statements to clarify the extent of the maneuvers.
For readers interested in the case, this statement represents a new element pointing to the existence of an operation orchestrated from the PSOE environment to influence judicial processes. Investigations remain open, and more appearances are expected in the coming weeks.
You may also like
