A Spanish judge has ordered the immediate imprisonment of former PSOE Organisation Secretary Santos Cerdan without bail, citing serious allegations of corruption, bribery, and membership in a criminal network.
The move came at the request of Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Alejandro Luzon, who warned of a flight risk and fears that Cerdan could tamper with evidence.
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The allegations centre on a murky scheme to rig public works contracts at Spain’s Ministry of Transport, allegedly netting kickbacks of up to €620,000.
Cerdan is accused of operating alongside ex-minister Jose Luis Abalos and long-time associate Koldo Garcia, both of whom were questioned last week.
In his ruling, Investigating Judge Leopoldo Puente said he saw ‘a real risk’ that Cerdán, if allowed to walk free, could ‘conceal, destroy or alter’ crucial evidence.
Cerdan maintains his innocence and told the court today that he is the victim of a political witchhunt.
‘The man pulling the strings’
According to the judge, the evidence against Cerdan is ‘homogeneous and consistent’ – so much so that he called it ‘truly extraordinary.’ He believes Cerdan wasn’t just involved, but played a leading role.
‘The consistent evidence of criminality… points to Mr Cerdan Leon as the one responsible for collecting funds from the favoured construction firms and funnelling them to Mr Abalos and Mr Garcia,’ the judge wrote.
Puente also pointed to a ‘vertical relationship’ between the trio, with Cerdan allegedly at the top – managing the illicit proceeds and dividing the spoils.
Many of the suspect contracts were awarded to a joint venture led by Acciona Construccion, with the judge noting that in ‘none of the cases’ was the winning bid the best financial offer.
‘The bagman’
Cerdan, once PSOE’s third-in-command, is accused of acting as the go-between for dodgy payments.
According to the ruling, he was the one who physically collected the funds from companies and ensured they reached Garcia and Abalos – who reportedly didn’t even deal directly with the firms themselves.
‘The mechanism for obtaining the payments, still unclear, was something Mr Cerdán could not have been unaware of,’ the judge wrote.
While the sum allegedly pocketed by the group – ‘in the region of one million euros’ – may seem high, the judge remarked it was ‘unusually small’ for this type of operation.
He speculated that the full cost of the contract rigging could exceed €5 million.
Puente also hinted that more players could be involved, saying the possibility that ‘other individuals or entities’ also profited ‘cannot be ruled out at this time.’
