UCO links Basque nationalist PNV to PSOE corruption scheme over Tubos Reunidos bailout
Spain's Civil Guard UCO unit found that the PNV contacted the SEPI corruption network to rescue Tubos Reunidos. Leire Díez and Vicente Fernández allegedly took 247,459 euros in illegal fees.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
PNV implicated in the PSOE corruption scheme: UCO reveals meeting with Ortuzar over the Tubos Reunidos bailout
The Basque nationalists have always sold themselves as having cleaner hands than the rest of Spain's parties. But the latest report from the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO, the Civil Guard's central investigative unit) dismantles that fiction. The Guardia Civil has found messages and confirmed a meeting between PNV chairman Andoni Ortuzar and the corrupt network operating inside SEPI, the state industrial holding company, to secure the bailout of Tubos Reunidos. The alleged middlemen, Leire Díez and Vicente Fernández, are said to have pocketed an illegal commission of 247,459 euros for their efforts.
The commission that changes everything
The amount is not astronomical, but it proves the existence of a flow of money within a network operating from the state industrial holding company. The UCO maintains that the two implicated received that sum as payment for lobbying Pedro Sánchez's government to back the bailout. The report includes conversations and an in-person meeting with Ortuzar, placing the PNV as an active part of the scheme.
Internal opposition, political pressure
The case has a secondary player that makes it even juicier: Sara Aagesen, now a minister, opposed the bailout in 2021 when she was Secretary of State for Energy. According to the investigation, the corrupt network obtained inside information about that refusal and mobilised its contacts "at the very top" to reverse it. The aid was ultimately approved. The paradox is that Aagesen today sits in the very government that props up the scheme's partners.
A bailout that ended in bankruptcy: money down the drain
The most galling thing from an economic standpoint is that the bailout failed to save the company. Tubos Reunidos ended up in insolvency proceedings. In other words, public money vanished while the middlemen pocketed their commission. The debate recalls the parallel with Abengoa, where the PSOE's abstention allowed Rajoy to govern and prevented an investigation. Now the UCO seems determined to leave no loose ends.
Questions left hanging: will this investigation push the PNV to break its coalition with the PSOE? Or will the regime's machinery grease the gears once more so everything fizzles out?
The Basque nationalists have always sold themselves as having cleaner hands than the rest of Spain's parties. But the latest report from the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO, the Civil Guard's central investigative unit) dismantles that fiction. The Guardia Civil has found messages and confirmed a meeting between PNV chairman Andoni Ortuzar and the corrupt network operating inside SEPI, the state industrial holding company, to secure the bailout of Tubos Reunidos. The alleged middlemen, Leire Díez and Vicente Fernández, are said to have pocketed an illegal commission of 247,459 euros for their efforts.
The commission that changes everything
The amount is not astronomical, but it proves the existence of a flow of money within a network operating from the state industrial holding company. The UCO maintains that the two implicated received that sum as payment for lobbying Pedro Sánchez's government to back the bailout. The report includes conversations and an in-person meeting with Ortuzar, placing the PNV as an active part of the scheme.
Internal opposition, political pressure
The case has a secondary player that makes it even juicier: Sara Aagesen, now a minister, opposed the bailout in 2021 when she was Secretary of State for Energy. According to the investigation, the corrupt network obtained inside information about that refusal and mobilised its contacts "at the very top" to reverse it. The aid was ultimately approved. The paradox is that Aagesen today sits in the very government that props up the scheme's partners.
A bailout that ended in bankruptcy: money down the drain
The most galling thing from an economic standpoint is that the bailout failed to save the company. Tubos Reunidos ended up in insolvency proceedings. In other words, public money vanished while the middlemen pocketed their commission. The debate recalls the parallel with Abengoa, where the PSOE's abstention allowed Rajoy to govern and prevented an investigation. Now the UCO seems determined to leave no loose ends.
Questions left hanging: will this investigation push the PNV to break its coalition with the PSOE? Or will the regime's machinery grease the gears once more so everything fizzles out?
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (100 replies).
More summaries
-
The cost of Spain's gender violence law: a workshop, a son, and a complaint
A café racer YouTuber denounces the 'viogen' he suffered after his son's birth: arrest, restraining order, and a ruling that reopens the debate.
-
A Viewer Breaks Down Tom Hanks' Progressive Movie Formula
A viewer dissects Tom Hanks' latest film and argues it follows the progressive movie playbook: roles, plot and who pays for the agenda.
-
US yield curve inversion: the signal that has preceded every crisis
The US Treasury yield curve between 2-year and 10-year bonds is inverted. The signal that has preceded every recession since 1999 points to a crisis in less…
-
Forum debate debunking the myth of Andalusia's 'racial dud'
A forum post has revived the myth of the Andalusian 'racial dud'. Genetics dismantles the prejudice: the R1b haplogroup predominates across Spain.
-
Gijón housing prices up 60% since 2020, forum users say
A forum thread debates Gijón's price surge since 2020, with users split over whether it is an opportunity or a bubble. Analysis of neighbourhoods and outlook.
-
Borja Mateo: buying a home in Spain is 'madness'
Spanish property analyst Borja Mateo says prices have fallen 53%-58% from their peak but predicts an average drop of 75%-85%. 'Buying is madness,' he declares.