Díaz Ayuso: "On the next visit of the Pope there are going to be so many Sanchistas in jail that he won't even have time to visit them"

Current situation of the main judicial investigations affecting the PSOE environment

As of June 11, 2026, most of the cases affecting the PSOE environment are still in the investigation phase or in oral trial, without final sentences. The core of the so-called mask case linked to Koldo García and former minister José Luis Ábalos is already in oral trial, while the pieces on cash payments by the PSOE remain in preliminary proceedings in the National Court. The Mediador/Tito Berni case is also in oral trial, in its first piece, in the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Meanwhile, new proceedings on the so-called “PSOE sewer system” continue in the investigation phase in the National Court, with the secrecy partially lifted.

1. Koldo case and pieces on cash payments and mask contracts

The available information shows two differentiated levels: on the one hand, the main procedure of the mask contracts and, on the other, the pieces on cash payments by the PSOE to leaders or officials linked to the case.

According to the Supreme Court, the main case for mask and medical material contracts during the pandemic against José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and Víctor de Aldama is already in oral trial, starting on April 7, 2026, after the preliminary issues raised by the defenses were rejected (Supreme Court note). RTVE details that the trial was designed with more than 75 witnesses and 13 sessions scheduled until the end of April 2026, so, with the public information available, it remains in trial phase or pending sentence, without a firm resolution (RTVE).

In parallel, the National Court is investigating the cash payment proceedings by the PSOE to people in Ábalos and Koldo's environment. According to coverage by El Demócrata, on October 31, 2025, the Supreme Court referred this separate piece to the National Court to investigate possible “irregular conduct or activities” in these payments. Subsequently, the National Court has continued in the investigation phase, focusing on scrutinizing the party's accounting documentation and taking statements from organization officials, with no record of an order to open oral trial or definitive dismissal (court information in El Demócrata).

Regarding the part investigated in the National Court about mask contracts, journalistic sources indicate that it is a parallel investigation under secrecy, which feeds material to the Supreme Court procedure but formally remains in preliminary proceedings and without a firm sentence. No further information is available in the consulted sources about a possible closure or transformation of these proceedings into new oral trial pieces.

2. Mediador / Tito Berni case

The Mediador case, involving former Canarian socialist deputy Juan Bernardo Fuentes, known as “Tito Berni,” is in a more advanced phase than other investigations, at least in its first piece. According to El Demócrata, on November 20, 2025, the opening of the oral trial of the first section of the case was announced in the Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Subsequently, the trial has continued with witness testimony: on January 22, 2026, the hearing continued with the testimony of Civil Guard agents, according to another court chronicle (El Demócrata). To date, no final and firm sentence has been recorded in the sources for this piece, so the case remains in ongoing oral trial.

In parallel, the Supreme Court has been resolving collateral issues: on February 26, 2026, it rejected opening proceedings against Luis “Alvise” Pérez for his public accusations about a PSOE deputy, confirming that these statements do not give rise to a new criminal case linked to the Mediador case (El Demócrata). This ruling does not change the phase of the main procedure, which remains focused on the accused already on trial in Tenerife.

3. Investigation into the alleged “PSOE sewer system” (Leire Díez case and environment)

Another line of investigation affecting the PSOE environment is the case known in the media as the alleged “PSOE sewer system,” investigated in the National Court by Judge Santiago Pedraz. The information indicates that this investigation is in preliminary proceedings, that is, in the investigation phase, without opening oral trial.

On June 1, 2026, the magistrate agreed to partially lift the secrecy of the file, maintaining other parts under reserve, which indicates that the investigation continues active and that the case is still in a phase of gathering evidence, analyzing communications, and possible new imputations (El Demócrata). No further information is available in the consulted sources about requests to open oral trial or indictments in this procedure.

4. General overview

Overall, it can be said that the investigations affecting the PSOE environment are currently distributed between open investigation (party cash payments, mask pieces, and alleged “sewers”) and ongoing oral trial (core of the Koldo/mask case in the Supreme Court and first piece of the Mediador case in Tenerife). None of the mentioned cases appear, with the public information available, as concluded by a final sentence.

This procedural map is dynamic: in the coming months, orders for transformation into summary proceedings, indictments, new openings of oral trial, or even the first sentences may be issued. Until those resolutions occur and become public, the situation remains marked by the investigation phase and the development of the trials already initiated.

Powers and functions of the President of the Community of Madrid

The President of the Community of Madrid is, according to the Statute of Autonomy (Organic Law 3/1983 and subsequent reforms), the highest representative of the Community and the head of its Government. The Statute assigns her functions of institutional representation, direction of the Council of Government, regulatory power, legislative initiative, and powers of appointment and dismissal. It also recognizes her ability to dissolve the Assembly of Madrid early and call regional elections, within legal limits. Overall, her role is to guarantee the functioning of Madrid's self-government and the coordination of all regional public policies.

Institutional representation of the Community of Madrid

According to Article 16.1 of the Statute of Autonomy, the President holds the supreme representation of the Community of Madrid. This implies that she acts on behalf of the Community in institutional acts and in relations with:

– The General State Administration and its authorities.
– Other autonomous communities and Madrid local entities, within the framework of inter-administrative cooperation.
– International organizations and entities, always within the competences that the legal system allows autonomous communities.

This representation function has a strong political and symbolic component: the President is the visible face of the Community of Madrid both internally and, in certain cases, externally.

Direction of the Council of Government and political action

Article 16.2 establishes that the President directs the action of the Council of Government, a collegiate body that exercises the regional executive power. This entails:

– Setting the main lines of the regional Government's policy.
– Coordinating the actions of the different ministries and resolving competence conflicts among them.
– Convening, presiding over, and adjourning Council of Government meetings, managing debates and decision-making.

In practice, this political direction translates into the ability to set the Government's agenda, decide priorities, and supervise the execution of approved programs and plans.

Regulatory power

According to Article 16.3, the President exercises the regulatory power necessary for the development and execution of regional laws within the Community's competence. Among other matters, this includes:

– Approval of regulations and general provisions that develop laws of the Assembly of Madrid.
– Issuance of rules on the organization and internal functioning of the regional Administration.
– Issuance of executive orders or decrees to apply current regulations.

This power is usually exercised through decrees of the Council of Government signed by the President, which create the specific legal framework in which the ministries operate.

Legislative initiative

Article 16.4 recognizes the President, through the regional Government, the power to present bills to the Assembly of Madrid. It is one of the main channels for normative promotion, as the Government is usually the actor with the greatest technical capacity to draft preliminary projects. This legislative initiative allows:

– Proposing new regional laws.
– Modifying or repealing existing norms.
– Articulating structural reforms in areas such as health, education, social services, transport, or regional finance.

Appointment and dismissal of ministers and senior officials

According to Article 16.5, the President freely appoints and dismisses the ministers who make up the Council of Government. In this way, she configures her political team and can reshape it whenever she considers necessary to reorient Government action. Additionally, the Statute allows her, according to regional legislation, to appoint and dismiss other senior officials of the regional Administration, reinforcing her capacity to direct the administrative structure.

Dissolution of the Assembly and calling elections

Article 16.6 grants the President the power to dissolve the Assembly of Madrid early and call regional elections, always within the limits set by the Statute itself and electoral regulations (minimum periods since the last call, prohibition to dissolve during the processing of a motion of no confidence, etc.). This power provides a highly relevant political tool, as it allows:

– Advancing elections to unblock situations of ungovernability or serious conflicts between the Executive and Legislature.
– Seeking a new parliamentary majority to support her political project.

Other statutory functions

Besides the main functions already mentioned, the Statute assigns the President other complementary competences, including:

– Issuing rules on the internal organization of the regional Administration.
– Adopting, according to the law, urgent measures in emergency or serious need situations, usually channeling them through the Council of Government.
– Any others expressly assigned by the Statute and regional development laws.

In sum, the set of these functions configures the President of the Community of Madrid as the highest political, institutional, and administrative authority of Madrid's self-government, with the capacity to promote laws, direct the Government, order the Administration, and ultimately decide the opening of a new electoral cycle.

Summary of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's trajectory before becoming president

Before being appointed president of the Community of Madrid in August 2019, Isabel Díaz Ayuso built a career closely linked to the Madrid People's Party and regional politics. Graduated in Journalism, she first specialized in political and digital communication of the PP and, from 2011, consolidated an institutional profile as a regional deputy. Between 2017 and 2018, she made the leap to the regional Government as Deputy Minister of Presidency and Justice, while assuming significant organic positions in the Madrid PP. This internal and parliamentary trajectory led Pablo Casado to choose her as the candidate for regional presidency in January 2019, a step prior to her investiture that same year.

Education and early professional steps

Isabel Díaz Ayuso was born in Madrid in 1978 and graduated in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid, later completing postgraduate studies related to political communication and protocol, according to the institutional profile of the Community of Madrid (Community of Madrid, IFEMA, CNIS). Before holding public office, she worked in media, companies, and foundations, always in areas related to communication and institutional marketing (Community of Madrid). This experience became the basis for her later specialization in political and digital communication within the People's Party.

Internal career in the People's Party

According to biographies and political reviews (Buscabiografías, CNIS), Ayuso has been affiliated with the PP since 2005 and soon joined the Madrid PP apparatus as a communication technician. She directed the online area of the Madrid PP and became responsible for digital communication at the national level as well, coordinating the party's presence on social networks. She presided over the Madrid PP Affiliations Committee and became a reference figure in the party's communication strategy.

Her link with the PP regional governments initially came from the communication side: she worked in the press department of Minister Alfredo Prada and later in the environment of President Esperanza Aguirre, focusing on social networks and public projection of the regional Government (Buscabiografías). She also participated in Cristina Cifuentes' digital campaign, which strengthened her position in the core of the Madrid PP.

The leap to more visible organic positions occurred in 2018: since May of that year, she has been Deputy Secretary of Communication and spokesperson of the Madrid PP and is part of the party's National Executive Committee (Wikipedia, Buscabiografías). This profile as a “apparatus” leader, very focused on message and networks, was key to her designation as a candidate.

Parliamentary career in the Assembly of Madrid

Her institutional career began with her entry into the Assembly of Madrid in 2011. She was a PP candidate in the regional elections that year and, although she initially did not obtain a seat, she accessed the regional Parliament by filling a vacancy due to resignation that same year (Community of Madrid, CNIS). She renewed her seat in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019.

Within the Assembly, she held various responsibilities: she was deputy spokesperson of the Popular Parliamentary Group and served as spokesperson in the Telemadrid and Culture and Tourism commissions, as well as a member of the Education and Sports and Presidency, Justice, and Government Spokesperson commissions (Community of Madrid, Buscabiografías). This parliamentary activity gave her media visibility and consolidated a combative style aligned with the classic discourse of the Madrid PP.

Position in the regional Government: Deputy Minister of Presidency and Justice

The main milestone before the presidency is her entry into the regional Executive. In September 2017, she temporarily left her seat to be appointed Deputy Minister of Presidency and Justice of the Community of Madrid, a position she held until 2018 (Wikipedia, Community of Madrid, CNIS). From this position, she was at the core of decisions of the regional Government, in a context in which the Madrid PP was going through a phase of wear and internal renewal.

Designation as candidate and prelude to the presidency

The combination of organic positions and institutional experience led to Pablo Casado designating her on January 11, 2019, as the PP candidate for the Presidency of the Community of Madrid for the regional elections in May that year (Buscabiografías, Community of Madrid). After the elections, although the PP was not the most voted force, Díaz Ayuso managed to articulate a parliamentary majority with Ciudadanos and the support of Vox, which allowed her investiture.

Finally, she took office as President of the Community of Madrid on August 14, 2019, culminating a trajectory that, until then, combined specialization in political communication, long militancy and internal responsibilities in the PP, intense parliamentary activity in the Assembly of Madrid, and executive experience as Deputy Minister (Community of Madrid, Wikipedia, Buscabiografias, CNIS, IFEMA, Política Electoral).