Former PSOE militant Leire Díez has told Judge Arturo Zamarriego that she held two meetings with Santos Cerdán in April 2024 as a journalist to inform on Villarejo case matters. Alongside businessman Javier Pérez-Dolset, both deny party ties and seek to nullify recordings where Díez presents herself as Cerdán's 'right hand'. The probe examines alleged influence peddling and bribery to obtain compromising information.
On November 17, 2025, Leire Díez and Javier Pérez-Dolset appeared before Madrid's Court of Instruction No. 9, led by Judge Arturo Zamarriego, as suspects in an alleged 'ongoing and coordinated criminal act' to gather compromising information from the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the Central Operative Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, aimed at derailing significant investigations affecting politicians and businessmen, per a court order.
Díez, who testified for one hour answering only the judge, prosecutor, and her lawyer, stated she met Santos Cerdán in April 2024, coinciding with the indictment of Begoña Gómez, wife of Pedro Sánchez, and his reflection period. She explained the two meetings at the PSOE headquarters in Ferraz, arranged by journalist Patricia López, lasted about 40 minutes each and served to alert the party to potential victims of operations by commissioner José Manuel Villarejo, including the PSOE. She denied any ties to the party leadership, despite 20 years of affiliation, and said she shared similar information with other parties. Regarding Pedro Sánchez, she only met him at rallies, like one at the University of Cantabria where they posed for a photo.
Pérez-Dolset, whose statement lasted over two hours, confirmed the meetings and detailed that Antonio Hernando, then deputy director of the President's Office and current Secretary of State for Telecommunications, attended the first. Sources close to Hernando confirm his presence at Cerdán's invitation, due to his Villarejo case knowledge as socialist spokesperson; he listened for 20 minutes and concluded the information was known and under judicial review. The businessman recounted that an unknown source gave him Villarejo audios, which he shared with victims, and mentioned a WhatsApp group of journalists and prosecutors leaking data.
Both denied recognizing the key recordings in the case, claiming manipulation, and requested their nullification. These include a May 2025 audio recorded by prosecutor Ignacio Stampa in a meeting with Díez and Pérez-Dolset at Luis del Rivero's office, where Díez presented herself as 'Santos Cerdán's right hand' and 'the person put by the PSOE' to probe irregularities, offering Stampa a return to Anti-Corruption in exchange for data on Alejandro Luzón and UCO Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Balas. In the audio, Pérez-Dolset said: 'The president has said this will be cleaned up, come what may.' Another recording, from February 2025 in lawyer Jacobo Teijelo's office, involves a hydrocarbon businessman under investigation, Alejandro Hamlyn, to whom favors were offered for UCO information: 'I need Balas, okay? Straight up.' The defense alleges violation of communication secrecy and criminal provocation, as Stampa acted without judicial authorization. Díez also reported the hacking of her Google Drive shared with Pérez-Dolset and threats from personal data leaks.
The case, started by a Hazte Oír complaint and incorporating reports from prosecutors Stampa and José Grinda, includes journalist Pere Rusiñol as a third suspect. The judge played the audios in court before the interrogations, which extended into the afternoon.
