Judge Santiago Pedraz is taking a statement this Friday from a national police officer whom former PSOE member Leire Díez allegedly approached to obtain information that could compromise magistrate Mercedes Alaya.
The National Court judge Santiago Pedraz has summoned this Friday as a witness a national police officer whom former PSOE member Leire Díez allegedly contacted to gather information that could harm the judge of the ERE case, Mercedes Alaya. This is reflected in a report from the Civil Guard that the court has accessed.
The statement from Rafael Salvador, the name of the officer, comes after the president of the PSOE, Cristina Narbona, did not attend her scheduled summons this Friday due to the death of her mother. Her appearance has been postponed to July 15.
With this testimony, Pedraz concludes four consecutive days of statements in the context of the Leire case, which investigates alleged rigging in public contracts and a supposed scheme to sabotage judicial cases affecting the PSOE or the Government.
Meetings with officer "Torrente"
According to the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, Leire Díez met with police officer Rafael Salvador on three occasions: on February 13 and July 14, 2020, in Seville and Madrid, respectively, and in July 2024 in Zaragoza. Investigators found recordings of these meetings in Díez's possession.
The purpose of these meetings, according to the UCO, was to obtain information "that could compromise magistrate Alaya" and thus question the investigations she carried out. The individuals under investigation referred to the officer by the nickname "Torrente".
In addition to the ERE case, Alaya investigated the Isofotón case, concerning aid to a company in Málaga, and the Aznalcóllar case, a supposed rigging in the awarding of a Sevillian mine in which former SEPI president Vicente Fernández was implicated, who was acquitted after the trial.
Messages indicating a strategy against Alaya
One day after the first meeting with the officer, Díez sent a message to the former SEPI president in which she said: "With the things I already know about Alaya, what I need to know least is about law. Everything will turn out well, you will return and we will ensure that the tumour is removed."
Before her second meeting with the officer, the former member indicated that the previous conversations had served to ensure that "from high positions, people capable of making decisions and executing them are willing to take action".
These messages reinforce the UCO's hypothesis that there was a plan to discredit Judge Alaya, who oversaw the ERE case, one of the largest corruption scandals in Andalusia.
Next steps in the investigation
Judge Pedraz continues to advance in the Leire case, which also investigates alleged rigging in public contracts. Cristina Narbona's statement, scheduled for July 15, will be key to clarifying the role of the PSOE leadership in these events.
For now, the investigation continues its course, and new summonses or possible indictments are not ruled out. Police officer Rafael Salvador has appeared as a witness, but his situation could change if the recordings or testimonies reveal his direct involvement in the scheme.
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