The lawyer for the investigation commission on the Koldo case promoted by the PP in the Senate has rejected part of the work plan presented on Monday by the Popular Party regarding the “political and family environment closest to the President of the Government.” The lawyer states that the request for information regarding a “presumed criminal organization directly linked to the Government led by Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón” exceeds the scope of the commission as initially drafted for debate and unanimously approved a month ago. The lawyer suggests removing three paragraphs added later by the Popular Party to the commission’s scope, as well as the request for documentation related to the expansion of the investigation submitted by the PP on Monday. The lawyer’s report, which EL PAÍS has accessed, highlights these discrepancies.
The Popular Party submitted a request for a large amount of information on issues related to the alleged intermediation between the President’s wife, Begoña Gómez, with the Government and other companies. They did not request the appearance of either Sánchez’s wife or the President himself in the investigation commission at this time, but they will be able to do so later. However, they focused on Gómez by requesting documents related to her activities and summoning Javier Hidalgo, former director of Globalia, one of the companies mentioned by the Popular Party. The lawyer argues that such requests go against the initial wording of the commission and therefore proposes eliminating any mention of a “presumed network of influence peddling linked to the political and family environment closest to the President of the Government.”
The lawyer also suggests removing the objective of the commission to clarify “the events that occurred” at Barajas airport on January 20, 2022, involving Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. Despite the lawyer’s criticisms in the report, the Popular Party insists on moving forward with the same strategy and work plan. The PP has a majority in the Senate. “The lawyer has made some observations. Given the ongoing nature of this process and the continuous media reports, it is necessary to expand the scope because we will go to plenary,” said the PP spokesman in the commission, Luis Santamaría, in a press conference.
The investigation commission met on Wednesday afternoon to advance their work after political groups submitted a first list of witnesses on Monday, concluding the session with an initial schedule. The Popular Party, with a majority in the Senate, requested a list of 58 witnesses, including Koldo García and other individuals involved in the alleged corrupt network, such as businessman Víctor Aldama. They also requested the appearance of several socialist leaders like Salvador Illa, Ángel Víctor Torres, Francina Armengol, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Óscar Puente, Santos Cerdán, and former minister José Luis Ábalos, who is now a deputy in the Mixed Group.
The commission’s board, chaired by the Popular Party, has agreed that the first witness to appear will be Koldo García on April 22. Salvador Illa, the PSC candidate in the Catalan elections on May 12 and former Health Minister during the pandemic, will testify on April 24, two days before the start of the Catalan electoral campaign. The PSOE has supported calling Illa to provide explanations but criticized the timing coinciding with the election calendar. The commission has a total of 63 witnesses, considering the 58 proposed by the PP and additional requests from UPN and PNV. The duration of the investigation, led by the PP, is currently planned to last at least 12 months, excluding August as an inactive month, and expected to extend until May of the following year.
