The Spanish Minister of Labour and leader of Somar, a party in the governing coalition with the Socialists, said today that Spain has “a political problem” due to corruption in the PSOE and that “the situation is very serious.”

“Spain has a political problem today” and when this happens “you cannot look the other way, you have to address [the problem],” said Yolanda Díaz, one of the vice-presidents of the government led by Pedro Sánchez, who is prime minister and secretary-general of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).

Yolanda Díaz was speaking at a press conference in Seville during the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FiFD4) of the United Nations (UN), where she was confronted with the case of corruption at the top of the PSOE and Monday's decision by a judge to remand a former party leader, Santos Cerdán, one of Sánchez's ‘right-hand men’ until a few weeks ago.

This corruption case “is not a problem for the PSOE Federal Committee, it is already a problem for the country,” said Yolanda Díaz today, who considered that “the situation is very serious” and asked her government partner for a radical change in its response to the case.

“We are very angry, you are angry and the whole country is angry,” she added.

“Seeing the number two of the Socialist Party go to prison yesterday [1st of July] is a disgrace, without a doubt,” said the leader of Somar, a platform of left-wing political forces.

Yolanda Díaz said that the situation is so serious that on Wednesday, the leadership of the PSOE and Somar will meet to discuss this case and insisted that it is necessary to ‘act now.’

“Zero tolerance for corruption,” said the leader, adding that the PSOE must explain to Somar and the country “what happened.”

In the same statements, the representative demanded the rapid adoption of “measures for democratic regeneration so that this does not happen again.”

According to Yolanda Díaz, Somar will bring a set of proposals to Wednesday's meeting that it hopes will be adopted.

“No half measures,” said the Spanish minister, who considered that “zero corruption exists,” contrary to what Sánchez has said, and that this is the result of bipartisanship and “its two problems: PP and PSOE,” referring to Spain's two largest parties, the Socialist Party and the Popular Party (conservative).

The Spanish Supreme Court ruled on Monday to send Santos Cerdán to preventive detention without bail for his alleged role in a bribery scheme involving alleged irregular public works contracts.

Judge Leopoldo Puente, who granted the request of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the prosecution, considered that Cerdán may have committed crimes of membership in a criminal organisation, bribery and influence peddling.

On Monday, Sánchez told journalists, also in Seville, that the PSOE had acted “forcefully” in response to the allegations and immediately removed Santos Cerdán from office, leaving it to the courts to determine “what responsibilities the former socialist leader may have”.

This case also involves a former minister of Sánchez and former number three of the PSOE, José Luís Ábalos.

Ábalos was minister between 2018 and 2021. Santos Cerdán had been the PSOE's “number three” since 2017, when he succeeded Ábalos in the post. The two were Sánchez's biggest and most recognised supporters in the 2014 PSOE primaries and on the path that later led him to lead the government for the first time in 2018.

The suspicion of corruption at the top of the PSOE has sparked a crisis in Spain that analysts, party leaders and the press almost unanimously believe threatens the political survival of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.