Koldo case: lawyers linked to scandal accuse Montero's former chief of staff of withholding information from Supreme Court
Two lawyers connected to Santos Cerdán's alleged network claim that Carlos Moreno "only told a third" of his actual actions. The document was provided by a Civil Guard officer from Córdoba.
Lawyers linked to 'Leire Díez' scandal discredit testimony of Carlos Moreno before Supreme Court
Two lawyers connected to the alleged judicial obstruction network known as the 'Leire Díez' scandal maintain that Carlos Moreno, former chief of staff to minister María Jesús Montero, concealed the majority of his actual actions when testifying before the Supreme Court. According to ABC, the accusation is contained in a document added to the case file, corresponding to a meeting held on 10 March 2025.
The document indicates that lawyers Joseba Teijelo—lawyer for Santos Cerdán, former PSOE "number three"—and Ismael Oliver—former lawyer for Koldo García Izaguirre, former adviser to ex-minister José Luis Ábalos—analysed Moreno's situation during that meeting. Both agreed that the former senior Treasury official "has told only a third of what he has done", whilst also insulting him.
The document delivered by a suspended Civil Guard officer
The document was provided to the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard by Rubén Villalba, a Córdoba commander who was suspended from duty and pay for his alleged involvement in the Koldo case. Villalba delivered it on 28 May during his statement to the Civil Guard, as part of the investigation led by National Court judge Santiago Pedraz into the Leire Díez case.
The meeting in question took place just six days after Moreno appeared as a witness before judge Leopoldo Puente, the Koldo case instructor at the Supreme Court, under the legal obligation to tell the truth.
What Moreno declared before the Supreme Court on 4 March
In his appearance on 4 March, Carlos Moreno denied having received any financial consideration from Víctor de Aldama, a businessman identified as the alleged ringleader of the corrupt network operating within the Transport Ministry. Aldama had previously identified him as one of the public officials to whom he paid commissions in exchange for alleged favours from the Treasury.
Moreno admitted to the judge that Aldama consulted him about the possibility of obtaining a deferral of the tax debt of one of his companies, Pilot Real Estate, via a message. The former chief of staff explained that he merely forwarded the contact to an official from the Tax Agency and took no further part in the proceedings.
However, he denied receiving the 25,000 euros in cash that, according to Aldama's own statement as an investigated party, were handed to him in an envelope at a restaurant establishment opposite the Treasury Ministry. According to the businessman's account, adviser Koldo García told him that he should give Moreno "a gesture of goodwill" after Treasury agreed to the deferral of the tax debt.
Moreno also denied having told Aldama that, before proceeding with the deferral, it was necessary to consult "with his boss", referring to María Jesús Montero, then head of the Treasury.
Several meetings with Aldama throughout 2019
Despite denying the payments and consultations with Montero, the former chief of staff acknowledged before the court that he held several meetings with Aldama during 2019. In those meetings they discussed the aforementioned tax deferral, matters related to Ciudad Real airport and even personal issues, such as an inquiry about the price of a flat that Moreno intended to purchase.
The political weight of the case for Andalusian PSOE
The revelations in the document place Montero's trusted aide in a compromised position. Following his removal from the Treasury Ministry on 26 March, Montero incorporated Moreno into her team during the campaign for the Andalusian elections on 17 May, in which the party obtained only 28 of the 109 seats in Parliament.
On 26 November, Montero defended Moreno on three occasions before the Senate committee investigating the Koldo case, assuring that she would "stake her life" on him.
The alleged 'Leire Díez' scandal, whose investigation is being led by judge Pedraz, is identified as a criminal group dedicated to obstructing judicial investigations affecting the family of Government President and PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez.
Source: ABC