ANALYSIS.
Sanchez's circle tightens: Police raid the headquarters of the Spanish ruling party in a major corruption case
Agents of the Central Operative Unit appeared at the PSOE offices in Ferraz to collect information required by the judge on the 'Leire case' that investigates alleged crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, prevarication, embezzlement and influence peddling.
Members of the press crowd in front of the PSOE headquarters while the UCO conducts a search.
As he tries to position himself as a global leader of anti-Trumpism, things continue to unravel at home for the Spanish Prime Minister, the Socialist Pedro Sánchez, beset by corruption cases involving his family, close aides and his party.
Early in the morning (local time) on Wednesday, agents of the Central Operational Unit appeared at the headquarters of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party to collect documentation related to one of these cases surrounding the leader and the party that leads Spain.
Serious charges that point to the PSOE as a "criminal organization"
The inquiries of the law enforcement were by the judge of the National Court Santiago Pedraz framed within the corruption case investigating the activities of Leire Díez, nicknamed the PSOE's plumber, and who is under arrest for alleged crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, official misconduct, embezzlement and influence peddling.
Together with her, were arrested last December the former Chairman of the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) Vicente Fernández and Antxon Alonso, partner of the former Secretary of Organization of the PSOE Santos Cerdán (who also spent five months in prison).
Sanchez's wife, summoned "in person" to testify before another judge
A search that adds to the requirement that another judge, Juan Carlos Peinado, made a day earlier to the wife of the Spanish Prime Minister, Begoña Gómez, to declare for the alleged crimes of influence peddling, corruption in business, embezzlement and misappropriation of which she is accused.
Peinado summoned Gómez "in person" alleging risk of her "evading the action of Justice" and announced that he is studying the imposition of precautionary measures. The judge warned Gómez and the other two defendants - his advisor María Cristina Álvarez and businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés - that if they do not appear before Justice voluntarily, they will be "led by law enforcement" before the court.
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