The new report from the Central Operations Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard sent to the Supreme Court, which is investigating an alleged conspiracy to collect illegal kickbacks in exchange for labor awards, indicates that Santos Cerdán, Secretary of the Organization of the Socialist Workers Party from 2021 to 2025, adopted important “security measures” to avoid leaving traces when he met and communicated with two other defendants in the summary: Joseba Antixon Alonso, owner of Mercantile Servinabar (company). which was linked to the former socialist leader himself), and Justo Vicente Pellegrini, former director of the Spanish construction zone company Acciona. Agents, who discovered meetings in the legendary El Penta bar in Madrid and near Ferraz Street, indicate that part of these meetings occurred in the middle of the “bidding process” for the suspected projects.
The UCO report insists that “during the ministerial phase in which José Luis Albalos was at the helm of the Ministry of Transport (2018-2021), Santos, Inxon and Justo held various meetings, highlighted by the security measures used in them, such as turning off mobile phones during meetings; using instant messaging applications such as Threema to ensure greater privacy and anonymity; and maintaining at least one meeting in a property rented by UCO.” Servinabar or communicate through handwritten notes displayed on the screen during the video conference.
Agents confirm that Acciona executives paid kickbacks to the scheme to obtain the prizes. In this context, the Guardia Civil suspects that Cerdán was acting as a “liaison” between the Ministry of Transport and the construction company – either through his connections with senior officials at Acciona or through Josépa Antxón Alonso and Cervinábar; In addition to being the person who “managed” the stings received. In other previous reports, the Armed Institute had already allocated 620,000 euros in allegedly illegal wages, part of which was to Abalos and his former advisor Koldo García.
In the new document prepared by UCO and sent in November to the Supreme Court, detailing several meetings between the suspects (with photographs), various pieces of evidence collected were included to prove the security measures adopted to avoid leaving any trace. For example, the Guardia Civil explains that Josepa Antzun Alonso and Santos Cerdán communicated through an instant messaging application called Threema, “known for its privacy and anonymity.” In addition, agents intercepted a conversation in which the owner of “Servinabar” explained to his interlocutor that they had hung up the phone during a meeting with the secretary of the socialist organization.
UCO adds that Cerdan, Alonso and Pellegrini also met, “on at least one occasion,” at a property rented by Cervinabar, “ensuring greater privacy at the meeting.” According to the police report, Alonso and Pellegrini held video meetings, during which “handwritten notes” were displayed on the screen containing information they supposedly did not want to leave a fingerprint. The agents connect this action to a conversation between Cerdan, Abalos, and their former advisor Koldo Garcia; Where Cerdan said: “Bring the paper, we write it and see it, period” or “You don’t have to say a lot of things… Puns, they are made, they are seen and they break.”
In Penta y Ferraz
Agents conduct several encounters they consider suspicious under a magnifying glass. On June 12, 2019, “Antson, Justo and Santos are known to be present in the vicinity” of a property on Fuencarral Street in Madrid. In fact, investigators found a photo taken by Joseba Antsun Alonso in which the Acciona manager is seen talking to “anyone who could be Santos” at the El Pentagrama bar (known as El Penta), which is located a few meters away.
The Civil Guard also indicates that, as evidenced from the communications intercepted from the suspects, Santos Cerdán and Joseba Antixon Alonso met each other on some occasions somewhere on Ferraz Street, where the national headquarters of the PSOE are located. UCO identified an exchange of letters between the two in which Servinabar’s owner told the socialist leader that he was taking a taxi to Ferraz.
“I will leave by taxi to Ferraz,” Alonso announced at 7:54 a.m. on June 2, 2021.
“Okay,” Cerdan replied.
“I’m here,” Servinabar owner added at 8:12.
A second alleged date between the two was discovered near the PSOE party headquarters on November 15, 2021, when Alonso asked Cerdan to have coffee, and they both met somewhere on Ferraz Street.
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