The investigation commission on the Koldo case that is being held in the Senate yesterday had Pedro Sánchez’s new hit as a backdrop after his five-day stop to reflect: The “mud machine” and “hate” ” generated, according to the president of the Spanish Government, both by the opposition and by some media. The story was in the speech of both the socialist spokesperson at the commission and in the mouth of the witness, the secretary of organization of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán.
To begin with, the socialist leader charged against him and his relationship with José’s ex-advisor, Koldo García, arrested by the National Court for his alleged involvement in a corruption network to benefit from contracts masks through public companies dependent on the Ministry of Transport, whose owner was Ábalos himself.
Contrary to what has been published, Cerdán denied that he was the one who promoted Koldo García to act as an adviser to Ábalos and thanks to whom he managed to become a Renfe adviser. “Koldo was not my disciple, nor was anyone in the organizational chart of Ferraz (headquarters of the PSOE)”, said the current training organization secretary.
Answering questions from María Mar Caballero, from the mixed group, Cerdán clarified that he met Koldo García as a militant in Navarre and offered him some one-off jobs, mainly security. However, he denied that he introduced him to the general secretary, Pedro Sánchez, that he was the latter’s driver or that it was Cerdán himself who recommended him to be Ábalos’ adviser. His argument is that his relationship with Koldo since 2018 began because he accompanied Ábalos, with whom he maintained a relationship due to his positions within the party, since one was secretary of organization and the other secretary of territorial coordination. To the PP senators’ attacks, Cerdán said that he has “nothing to hide”.
After listening to his statements, Caballero turned to him and warned him that “he has an obligation to tell the truth”. Cerdán insisted that what he had said in the commission is all true. “And you have an obligation to believe me.” Caballero concluded his speech: “No, this is not an obligation”.
As number three in the party, he acknowledged that he was the one who communicated to Ábalos the decision to hand over the deputy record despite not being investigated in the corruption plot. “We wanted to go beyond our ethical code”.
In his appearance he said that he found out through the media about this plot of alleged corruption of contracts signed during the pandemic and stated that since it came to light he has not spoken to Koldo García. “I have no legal responsibility for the actions he may take, because he has never worked directly for me”, he insisted.
From the PP they showed their doubts about their prior knowledge of the investigation, and thus linked the reason why Koldo García was already a member of the PSOE when he was arrested. Cerdán counterattacked PP senator Gerardo Camps and reminded them not only of his corruption cases, but of the existence of the patriotic police during the government of Mariano Rajoy.
Several senators tried to corner the witness, who denied that he knew that Koldo became a Renfe councilor, that he had contact with him again after his departure from the ministry or that Ábalos was asked to remain silent.
ERC senator Joan Queralt criticized him for his chess technique on some questions. He was not convinced hearing how he denied that he did not intervene with Ábalos to have Koldo in his team. “We’ve done our homework and we know that it’s better to be good with the brigade than with the captain general”, he pointed out.
For Queralt, Sánchez’s days of silence have been nothing more than a “smoke screen” and the proof is that the “obscurantism” warned about the party’s relationship with Ábalos’ former adviser.
