Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez publicly apologised following the sudden resignation of his close ally and PSOE’s Secretary of Organisation, Santos Cerdan, who has been named in a bribery investigation involving public contracts.
Cerdan resigned after it became clear he had been implicated in an ongoing investigation by the Guardia Civil’s Central Operational Unit (UCO), which links him to a public works bribery scheme alongside former minister Jose Luis Abalos and Koldo Garcia.
Recordings from the UCO suggest Cerdan may have been involved in discussions about illegal commissions, as well as vote tampering during the PSOE’s 2014 internal primaries.
Appearing at a press conference at the PSOE headquarters today, Sanchez said: ‘I want to apologise to the citizens, members and supporters of this party… Until this morning, I trusted his integrity.’
The resignation came just hours after Sanchez met with Cerdan, following growing media coverage of the UCO’s findings. The PSOE’s coalition partners Sumar had already called for Cerdan to step down.
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Though visibly concerned, Sanchez said he has no plans to resign or dissolve Parliament, and that the broader Executive will remain unchanged.
He announced plans to restructure the federal executive team in early July and to launch an external audit of PSOE’s accounts.
Sanchez admitted he had resisted removing Cerdan previously, even when accusations surfaced months ago.
He said he had hoped to make a change at the party’s next congress in December, but circumstances forced him to act now.
Asked about the personal fallout, Sanchez called Cerdan’s involvement a ‘huge disappointment,’ adding: ‘I’ve known him since 2014. We worked side by side. I believe in clean politics, and I feel let down.’
Cerdan has also resigned from his seat in Parliament. With his political immunity gone, he is expected to testify before the Supreme Court on July 25, after a judge found strong indications of his involvement in rigged contract awards in Navarre.
For Sanchez, this is one of the most serious internal crises of his tenure, coming from within his inner circle.
Though he’s moving quickly to contain the damage, the scandal raises new questions about oversight and accountability inside the ruling party.
