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PSOE-Commissioned Audit Finds No Illegal Financing as Party Discloses 2017 Payment to Leire Díez

The report’s credibility is under scrutiny due to the authors’ prior government ties.

Overview

  • The forensic review of 2017–2024 cash activity says the party’s cash system is coherent and bank-traced, with about €191,528 recorded as returns of unspent advances rather than new income.
  • The audit flags a small number of questionable expenses linked to José Luis Ábalos’s tenure, including a 2019 Christmas meal, bills at La Chalana, and a Paris hotel stay noted as particularly striking.
  • Internal emails reported by La Razón indicate Ferraz arranged logistics for the September 2020 Paris trip involving Ábalos and Koldo García, which the audit describes as unusual by location.
  • The two academics who authored the report previously held roles tied to political and government teams, prompting criticism of the audit’s external independence.
  • Separate criminal investigations by the UCO, the Audiencia Nacional, and Madrid’s Juzgado nº9 continue; in a court filing, the PSOE confirms paying Leire Díez €15,612 in 2017 for journalism services while stating she held no party office.