Illa Witness Inquiry
Judge Zamarriego Asks Prosecutors to Consider Calling Salvador Illa as Witness in Leire Díez Case
Judge Arturo Zamarriego has formally asked the Public Prosecutor whether Salvador Illa, the sitting President of Catalonia, should be summoned as a witness in the "Caso Leire Díez" — a sprawling investigation into alleged dirty tricks run from inside the PSOE headquarters. El Periódico Mediterráneo reported the move, which came on June 10-11, 2026, and marks the first time a sitting regional president faces potential testimony in the case.
The Catalan Socialists (PSC) have flatly denied any contractual ties to the companies linked to Leire Díez, the party operative known as "la fontanera" (the plumber). Illa himself said he knows "how to distinguish a coincidence from what is not" and insisted "the truth always imposes itself."
Who Is Leire Díez and What Did She Do
Leire Díez Castro, dubbed "la fontanera," was a PSOE militant and former official at Correos and a regional transport agency. According to UCO investigators — the Guardia Civil's elite analytical unit — she ran a covert operation to protect the party from multiple judicial fronts. The alleged scheme included bribing prosecutors, discrediting investigators, and influencing the Attorney General's office to shelve sensitive cases.
Judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional has led the broader inquiry. On May 27, 2026, UCO officers raided PSOE's national headquarters on Calle Ferraz, seizing phones, documents, and a handwritten agenda belonging to Díez. Onda Cero reported that investigators found records of 22 meetings at Ferraz and evidence that Díez received €4,000 per month from the party.
The Notebook Entry That Put Illa in the Frame
On June 5, 2026, a leaked entry from Díez's handwritten notebook named Salvador Illa directly. The note reportedly said strategies involving Illa needed to be "rethought" through the Secretary of State for Health — a reference to his time as Spain's Health Minister. That entry is now central to Judge Zamarriego's decision to weigh whether Illa's testimony is needed.
Investigators are also looking at a €20,000 advertising contract with the outlet Crónica Libre and the firm Iki Communications during the 2024 Catalan election campaign — the race Illa won on May 12 of that year. Legal analysts note that Judge Pedraz has already dropped tax-data requests for the PSC, suggesting no direct proof of systemic financial crimes in Catalonia. Witness testimony, they say, is a standard step to "close the circle."
Political Fallout Reaches Catalonia's Government
If Illa is formally summoned, the consequences could go beyond courtroom drama. El Correo Gallego noted that his governing coalition — a fragile three-way deal with ERC and the Comuns — could fracture under the pressure. His investiture as Catalan president is recent and his majority is thin.
The PP's Senate spokesperson Alicia García called the alleged group a "Cloaca Command" and said Illa would be recalled to the Senate: "They will have to tell us who gave the order and what they received in exchange." The PSOE, through spokesperson Montse Mínguez, called the investigation a "cacería" — a witch-hunt — but said the party has "no fear of justice."
Key Numbers Behind the Corruption Probe
The scale alleged in court documents is striking. Díez reportedly received €4,000 per month. A bribe of €50,000 was allegedly offered to a witness named Carmen Pano to change her testimony. Investigators found over 2,000 documents on a digital memory stick she gave to party leadership. A fiber-optic contract in Catalonia worth €127 million is also under scrutiny due to links to firms connected to the plot.
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