Cerdán received cash payments from PSOE despite control promises
Santos Cerdán, PSOE's Organization Secretary, received 21 cash payments from the party between 2021 and 2024, even after promising to end the practice upon succeeding José Luis Ábalos. The Court of Auditors has been requesting limits on cash use in political parties for four years, a request that Cerdán delayed in Congress. These revelations emerge amid the Koldo case, involving corruption in the PSOE.
Santos Cerdán took over as PSOE's Organization Secretary in July 2021, replacing José Luis Ábalos, and initially implemented measures to halt cash payments for representation expenses, such as a 'double check' with credit card receipts. However, according to PSOE documentation, he resumed these payments in February 2023 and continued until October 2024, receiving 21 envelopes for expenses, two exceeding the 1,000-euro legal limit: 1,072.60 euros on September 30, 2023, and 1,200 euros on January 31, 2024.
In January 2024, Cerdán submitted receipts for over 2,400 euros, and in months like June and September 2023, he exceeded 4,000 euros. After Koldo García's arrest on February 21, 2024, he received 11 more cash payments until October, ranging from 115 to 600 euros each. Payments stopped in October 2024, with final transfers on June 12, the day of his abrupt PSOE exit following a UCO report linking him to the corruption plot.
Meanwhile, the Court of Auditors has requested since 2021 to limit cash donations in parties for better traceability, recommending strict documentation as 'the realization of cash income may make it impossible to ensure they were made with all required legal conditions.' In February 2022, Cerdán, as chair of the Joint Committee, pushed to withdraw the motion on this issue, citing review in a subcommittee, and debated it nine months later without legislative progress. The PSOE has raised over 20 million via unregulated microcréditos, another criticized practice.
PSOE sources attribute cash use to Ábalos' habits, denying irregularities and noting external audits with no qualifications. PP's Cuca Gamarra questioned 'where are the bank account extracts that can justify the origin of the cash money.' The law allows cash donations up to 50,000 euros per person per year, despite stricter limits for businesses.