Spain police enter PM Sanchez’s Socialist Party HQ in corruption probe

Spanish police enter governing party’s headquarters in Madrid as the corruption cases circle PM Sanchez’s government.Police have entered the headquarters of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) in Madrid as part of an investigation into possible financial wrongdoing, according to local media reports.Police officers entered the PSOE premises on Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported, quoting a Civil Guard spokesperson.The Civil Guard told The Associated Press news agency that the police were under judicial orders to find material relevant to a National Court inquiry into accusations of corruption against former party members and other individuals.The police said the search is strictly limited to the inquiry, led by National Court judge Santiago Pedraz, into the possible wrongdoing of PSOE member Leire Diez.The development comes after former Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was placed under formal investigation last week in connection with a government airline bailout. He has denied any wrongdoing.PSOE spokesperson Montse Minguez told local Catalunya Radio that the party was calm and fully cooperating with the courts, stressing that any information requested would be handed over.Police were following a judicial request for information, which requires prior notice and targets specific items, as distinct from an “entry and search” carried out without prior notice to gather all kinds of evidence, reported Reuters.The case against Diez started in 2025 when audio recordings appeared in Spanish media of her apparent involvement in attempts to discredit a member of the Civil Guard’s anticorruption unit, the AP reported.