A report by Spain’s elite anti-corruption unit, the UCO (Unidad Central Operativa of the Guardia Civil), has placed infrastructure giant Acciona at the heart of a wide-ranging political corruption network allegedly coordinated from the top ranks of the Socialist Party (PSOE). According to the investigators, the company paid hundreds of thousands of euros in illicit commissions to secure major public contracts. These bribes were allegedly funneled through political operatives closely tied to former minister José Luis Ábalos and the party’s former Organization Secretary, Santos Cerdán.
More than €600,000 in Illegal Payments
The UCO report outlines transactions amounting to a minimum of €620,000 related to certain public contracts granted to Acciona. The transfers were allegedly facilitated through intermediaries associated with Ábalos and his close confidant Koldo García, with the whole scheme managed and orchestrated by Santos Cerdán.
Researchers found clues about an extra €450,000 in pending kickbacks linked to three more public agreements, indicating that the suspected corruption ring was not limited to a single instance but was continuing, despite initial warnings of inconsistencies emerging.
Agreements Designed to Benefit Acciona
The agreements under discussion encompass significant infrastructure endeavors from 2018 to 2021, including road construction, railway enhancements, and city transit networks, mainly in areas led by the PSOE. As per the UCO’s findings, these bids lacked genuine competition and were tailored with specific criteria that essentially barred other contenders, guaranteeing Acciona’s victory.
The report characterizes the process as part of a “perfectly coordinated structure” in which political power was used to distort the bidding process in exchange for financial kickbacks.
Santos Cerdán’s Central Role
One significant aspect of the UCO investigation is the involvement assigned to Santos Cerdán. The report claims that Cerdán not only was aware of the corruption operation but also oversaw the coordination and allocation of payments. Documented conversations and evidence highlight him as the key political person organizing the connection between corporate interests and top-tier political power.
According to investigators, Cerdán handled negotiations, assigned percentages, and acted as the link between the awarding authorities and the beneficiaries of the scheme.
Institutional Silence and Internal Reviews
Acciona has initiated a self-assessment, openly dissociating from any illicit activities. A past executive purportedly associated with the operation has already departed from the organization. Despite Acciona asserting lack of awareness regarding any misconduct, the UCO report indicates otherwise, portraying a scenario of a company that either took part actively or ignored the unethical actions.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the government has made no formal statement. Within the PSOE, the matter has become an open wound, especially after recent high-profile resignations triggered by earlier phases of the corruption investigation.
The findings in the UCO report are quite clear: Acciona is supposedly involved in a larger politically driven scheme aimed at obtaining bribes in return for public contracts worth millions of euros. Should this be validated, the case would reveal an extensive corruption network embedded not just among political actors but also within the agencies tasked with overseeing public funds.
This is no longer a matter of internal party misconduct—it is a potential scandal of national magnitude. The public will now wait to see whether the courts and political institutions have the will to pursue full accountability, regardless of how high the investigation reaches.
