Spanish police raided the Madrid headquarters of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party (PSOE) on Wednesday morning, executing a court-ordered search for documents linked to a growing corruption investigation. The operation, carried out by the Guardia Civil, targeted records connected to former party member Leire Díez, who stands accused of spying on police officers and judges in order to undermine legal proceedings against the PSOE and the government. Díez has denied the allegations, claiming she was conducting journalistic research. Simultaneously, officers searched the homes of senior party figures, including Gaspar Zarrías, who is alleged to have hired Díez. The PSOE insists she acted on her own initiative.
The raid is connected to a broader investigation that includes charges of abuse of power, embezzlement, and organised crime against several individuals, among them a former president of a state-owned company. Sánchez was visiting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican when the searches took place, and told reporters at a press conference that he respected the judiciary and that his party was cooperating fully with investigators.
The operation adds to a turbulent period for the Socialists. Just days earlier, a Spanish court announced it was investigating former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero — a close ally of Sánchez who served as premier between 2004 and 2011 — over allegations that he used his influence to secure €53 million in state aid for struggling airline Plus Ultra during the Covid-19 pandemic and received payment in return. Zapatero, who is due to appear before a judge on 17 June, denies wrongdoing, saying he merely provided analysis for various consultancy firms. A separate Madrid judge is also continuing an inquiry into Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, over allegations of improper influence involving a university post — though prosecutors have repeatedly called for that case to be dropped.
The accumulation of legal pressure has sharpened a fierce political debate in Spain. Socialist officials argue the investigations amount to