Government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría confirmed on Tuesday at the post-Cabinet press conference that the promotion of Colonel Head of the Central Operations Unit (UCO), Rafael Yuste, to the rank of general, which requires his replacement in the unit that investigates corruption cases such as the “Koldo case,” “enters an absolutely natural promotion process.”
When asked about other possible changes within the UCO Command of the Civil Guard, the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports added that this promotion of Colonel Yuste is similar to the promotion of “another colonel” who was also promoted at the same time.
In this sense, the Ministry of the Interior actually defended itself against accusations that the government planned to “decapitate” the UCO, ensuring that the current General Yuste had participated in the training courses for promotion to the top of the Civil Guard of his own free will and, therefore, “had the right to promotion” if he met the conditions.
Moreover, the Executive indicated in its parliamentary responses that the promotion to the rank of general had already taken place on other occasions and that this decision did not imply any interference with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations or any other investigative unit of the State security forces and bodies.
In fact, in one of the written parliamentary responses to a set of questions posed by the PP, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that it had not intervened in investigations such as those of former Minister José Luis Ábalos or the former Secretary of Organization of the Socialist Workers Party, Santos Cerdán, nor in investigations of the wife and brother of the head of government, Pedro Sánchez.