Spain: The endless list of corruption cases plaguing socialist leader Pedro Sánchez

Spain woke up this Monday to the confirmation of a story that was practically screaming to be reported. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has decided to end his second term early and call early general elections, scheduled for Nov. 29.

The refusal of the majority of lawmakers to approve his housing reform, the latest of countless crises he has faced since taking power in 2018, has forced the Socialist leader to dissolve the Cortes Generales, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, and take the Spanish people to the polls.

Now, he is seeking a third term. He does so knowing that his record is marred by broken promises he made eight and three years ago, the last two times he ran and won power by relying on the support of other political parties, and by corruption scandals that have directly implicated him.

Corruption cases that directly implicate Sánchez

Sánchez entered the Moncloa, the Spanish presidential palace, eight years ago, billing himself as the standard-bearer in the fight against corruption: while he was the leader of the opposition, he constantly pointed the finger at his main political adversary, the People's Party (PP), and its then-leader and Sánchez's predecessor in office, Mariano Rajoy, for the criminal activities affecting that party and some of its representatives.

That fervent anti-corruption stance lost all credibility when case after case of corruption began to surface once he was already in government. Some of these have severely affected both his party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), as well as some of his closest associates and even several of his immediate family members:

- Case of the Attorney General. Álvaro García Ortiz, the attorney general nominated and appointed by Sánchez, was convicted of disclosing confidential information linked to the inner circle of one of the opposition leaders, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, with the aim of discrediting and harming her.

- The Begoña Case. Authorities are investigating the wife of the Prime Minister, Begoña Gómez, and one of her business partners for allegedly committing crimes of influence peddling and corruption in business dealings. Specifically, she is charged with four crimes, including embezzlement.

- David Sánchez Case. In this case, which involves 11 people, the central figure is David Sánchez, the prime minister's brother. He was convicted of malfeasance in July and sentenced to nine years of disqualification from holding any job or public office.

- The Koldo Case (Face Masks). Former Transportation Minister José Luis Ábalos, Sánchez's right-hand man, and his advisor Koldo García were sentenced to 24 years and 19.5 years in prison, respectively, following the resolution of this case, which investigated the payment of illegal commissions to intermediaries for the purchase of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

- The Koldo Case (Public Works). Linked to the previous case, this investigation focuses on 22 public contracts that Ábalos and García allegedly awarded illegally.

- Illegal Financing of the PSOE. Authorities are investigating whether cash payments listed in records found at the PSOE headquarters constitute a crime of illegal financing. The case is under a gag order.

- Leire Case. Leire Díaz, known as the PSOE's ”water woman” is under investigation for leading an alleged scheme to discredit and undermine judges and prosecutors.

- Plus Ultra Case. The central figure in this case is former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is under investigation for his alleged role as an intermediary in the government bailout of the airline Plus Ultra. Among the crimes under investigation are influence peddling and money laundering. His two daughters are also under investigation.

- Zapatero's Jewelry. This article, linked to the previous one, implicates Rodríguez Zapatero in the discovery of jewelry valued at millions of euros on his premises. The former prime minister, who maintains that the jewelry was gifts given to him by the Saudi royal family more than two decades ago, may have committed crimes of smuggling and tax evasion.

Among these cases and others detailed in this link, individuals associated with Sánchez are facing trials or investigations for 20 types of crimes, with a total of 128 people under investigation, some of whom have already been convicted.