JUST IN: accuses the UDEF of “muddling everything” with “ridiculous and absurd speculations” and “fallacies”
International Report:
Governments, analysts, and media outlets are continuing to follow this situation closely as additional details become available.
After sowing doubts about the actions of the judges, the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, went one step further this Friday and launched into disqualifying the work of the UDEF, the unit of the National Police specialized in the investigation of economic crimes. Puente released an almost 10-minute video in which he accuses the UDEF of “lack of rigor”, of “mudding everything” and of including “absurd and ridiculous speculations” in its reports. The Government thus maintains its strategy of discrediting the judges and the Judicial Police, now to reduce the credibility of the case in which former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is accused of alleged crimes of criminal organization, influence peddling and falsification of documents. In one of its reports sent to the judge of the National Court José Luis Calama, the UDEF recorded an annotation found in a diary of Julito Martínez, whom it identifies as Zapatero’s “front man.” The annotation made by the businessman literally says “Huawei 100 end of month” and then “400 contract”. In this regard, the UDEF indicates in its report that Adif (dependent on the Ministry of Transport) awarded a contract last March, estimated at 400,000 euros, for the “supply of Huawei equipment” for its data network. By exposing these facts, the UDEF limits itself to pointing out a possible line of investigation. In a video spread on his social networks, Minister Óscar Puente denied that there had been any type of influence on said contract. But he did so with broad strokes, accusing the UDEF of resorting to “fallacies” and “ridiculous speculations.” As he explained, three offers were submitted to the tender called by Adif. And it was awarded to the cheapest (with a 40% reduction on the starting price), since the specifications did not include the assessment of other technical criteria. Specifically, the tender was awarded to a Spanish supplier (who would be in charge of supplying the material from the Chinese manufacturer Huawei, vetoed by the EU and the US). “Linking this contract with any plot is such an absurd and ridiculous thing,” Puente said in his video, “that I don’t know how a police report can include it. in their speculations.” And he continued in the same tone, extending the doubts to the entire UDEF investigation into Zapatero: “If everything in the report is like that, I don’t believe anything. This absolute lack of rigor, this very funny thing…” In his opinion, no “useful conclusion can be drawn from the report prepared by the UDEF other than to muddy everything up.” Shortly before broadcasting the video, Puente had announced that he was going to reflect on “the fallacies contained in a report.” police.”To save former President Zapatero, the Government is destroying the work of one of the elite units of the Police, which works under the orders of the judges to unravel cases of corruption. Already last Thursday, Minister Puente had questioned the work of the judges, finding suspicious “coincidences” in the different speed with which the different summaries advance. To support this thesis, Puente listed the judicial case open to Begoña Gómez, the trial against brother of Pedro Sánchez that began this Thursday in Badajoz, the “condemnation of the State Attorney General for denying a hoax and the procedure in relation to former President Zapatero. I am a little astonished,” he admitted. The Minister of Transport considered the case being investigated by Judge José Luis Calama unjustified because, he assured, “Zapatero dedicates himself more or less to what the rest of the former presidents of Spain and the world do.” And he recalled that, since Zapatero left the Presidency of the Government, in 2011, “he is a private citizen, he is not subject to the obligations of public office.” Puente assured that among the socialist militancy there is “deep indignation” and a “fed up” with the judicial procedures, the “coincidences” in the judicial calendar and the “political use” of some of these causes. “I don’t believe in coincidences and I don’t suck my finger,” he said. At an event of the Socialist Youth, the Minister of Digital Transformation, Óscar López, joined this Friday in the escalation of attacks by the Government against Justice. “I have seen a state attorney general convicted without evidence,” he stated, “I have seen how four, five or six trials, and are leaked to the press before control sessions or appearances by the president. I have seen how an FGE is condemned without evidence. I have seen summaries worthy of the Planeta Prize. We neither give up nor suck our fingers pic.twitter.com/6XL0YC0UNU — Oscar López Agueda (@oscarlopeztwit) May 29, 2026 Óscar López continued to disqualify the judges: “I have seen how summaries are written that could be submitted to the Planeta Prize for best literary work.” “In this match,” He concluded, “corruption is prohibited, and that is why we always act. But in this party it is also prohibited to give up and suck your thumb.” After the blow of Zapatero’s accusation, the PSOE caused consternation this Wednesday when the entry of UDEF agents into the socialist headquarters on Ferraz Street, just one hour before the Government control session began, in the case of the plumber Leire Díez. The operation ordered by the judge of the National Court Santiago Pedraz, who is investigating the sewers of the PSOE, tarnished President Pedro Sánchez’s trip to the Vatican, where he was received by Pope Leo discredit caused by corruption, the former presidents José María Aznar and Felipe González, as well as the president of Castilla y León, the socialist Emiliano García-Page. But also two parties that supported Sánchez’s investiture in November 2023: the PNV and, this Friday, Junts. But instead of giving explanations about the mountain of corruption cases that affect prominent figures in the party, such as former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Government has once again chosen to unleash an offensive to disqualify the work of the judges.
What Happens Next:
Analysts believe this development may influence future diplomatic, political, or economic discussions internationally.
Additional reactions from governments and international institutions are expected as the situation evolves.
More details may emerge as official sources continue releasing new information.
Source: This article was originally published by El Español – Home and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.