Santos Cerdán has responded to accusations that place him at the center of the so-called Leire case with a statement in which he denies any participation in an alleged scheme aimed at obtaining information about investigators, prosecutors, or agents linked to cases affecting the PSOE or the Government. The former socialist Organization Secretary maintains that the investigation opened in the National Court lacks foundation and even states that "the objective is not to investigate crimes, but to destroy people".
The statement comes a few days after the partial lifting of the secrecy of the investigation being handled by Judge Santiago Pedraz, which revolves around the activities attributed to former socialist militant Leire Díez and other people close to her.
Cerdán claims his innocence
In the document, the former number three of the PSOE categorically rejects any irregularity and claims his right to the presumption of innocence. "Given this extremely serious situation, I claim my innocence and the need to protect its presumption as an essential value in a democratic society," he states.
Cerdán insists that there is no evidence to support the claim that he directed or coordinated a structure aimed at influencing judicial investigations. According to him, there is also no communication, message, or instruction issued by him that could support this hypothesis.
He questions the actions of the National Court
One of the most relevant aspects of the statement is the direct criticism of the development of the investigation. Cerdán recalls that he was already summoned as a witness in the proceedings that initially investigated the facts in a Madrid court and highlights that for months there was never any consideration of changing his procedural status.
Therefore, he questions that the National Court has subsequently decided to investigate him for the same facts. "To this day, no one has explained the reason for the necessity (and legality) of a second parallel investigation," he states. The reference points to the moment when Judge Pedraz requested the documentation of the proceedings that were taking place in Madrid to take over the investigation from the National Court.
The former socialist leader also rejects one of the central elements of the investigation: the existence of an organized structure under his direction. "There is no organic relationship whatsoever, let alone one of superiority," he maintains in the statement.
With this statement, he tries to dismantle the thesis that attributes to him a role of coordination or leadership in the investigated maneuvers. The defense of the former Secretary of Organization maintains that there is no objective element that allows concluding that he exercised command functions over the investigated persons.
A direct response to the UCO's suspicions
The statement constitutes a direct reply to the conclusions reached by the investigators and which have served as the basis for the advancement of the judicial case.
The investigation seeks to clarify whether there was coordinated action to gather sensitive information about members of the Civil Guard, prosecutors, or other actors related to proceedings affecting the PSOE or the Executive. Cerdán completely denies this version of events and considers that his indictment lacks evidentiary support.
While the investigation continues to advance in the National Court, the former socialist leader already focuses on the legal validity of the investigation and anticipates a defense strategy based both on the denial of the facts and on the questioning of the procedure followed to attribute responsibilities to him.