MADRID \u2013 If you haven\u2019t heard about the Spanish government\u2019s latest policies, it\u2019s probably because there aren\u2019t any.<\/p>\n
High-profile court cases have dominated headlines over the past months to such an extent that the political agenda has taken a back seat, with politicians running to catch up with the numerous pending court rulings that will determine the country\u2019s political future.<\/p>\n
This week kicked off with the anticipated trial of former Catalan president Jordi Pujol, who governed<\/a> Catalonia from 1980 to 2003. Following a ten-year investigation, Pujol, a historic figure in Catalonia\u2019s right-wing nationalism, is accused of forming a \u201ccriminal organisation\u201d with his seven children to launder millions of euros in bribes over the decades.<\/p>\n The historic trial began less than a week after the Supreme Court convicted<\/a> \u00c1lvaro Garc\u00eda Ortiz, the state attorney general that Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez appointed in 2022, for disclosing confidential information about a court case involving the partner of one of the premier\u2019s main political rivals.<\/p>\n The trial attracted extensive media attention, as S\u00e1nchez and his ministers controversially defended<\/a> Garc\u00eda Ortiz\u2019s innocence. Prosecutors interpreted the prime minister\u2019s actions as an attempt to coerce the court.<\/p>\n Unprecedented times<\/strong><\/p>\n Corruption investigations are not unusual in Spanish politics. Charges of irregular financing, bribery, and cronyism have loomed over the governments led by the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE), starting with the first democratic governments of socialist Felipe Gonz\u00e1lez, and the conservative Popular Party (PP) under the leadership of former prime ministers Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Aznar and Mariano Rajoy.<\/p>\n In fact, seven years ago, S\u00e1nchez led<\/a> a no-confidence vote against Rajoy\u2019s corruption-plagued administration, vowing to \u201ccleanse the system\u201d and tackle corruption in the country\u2019s institutions.<\/p>\n However, back in Madrid, there is a general sense that corruption probes have never touched a serving prime minister and his inner circle so closely. S\u00e1nchez\u2019s wife<\/a> and brother both await trials in 2026 over alleged corruption.<\/p>\n In addition, the bombshell kickbacks-for-contracts scheme known as the \u201cKoldo Case\u201d has rocked<\/a> S\u00e1nchez\u2019s PSOE.<\/p>\n Former S\u00e1nchez allies and party organisational secretaries Santos Cerd\u00e1n, Jos\u00e9 Luis \u00c1balos, and \u00c1balos\u2019s personal aide, Koldo Garc\u00eda, are under investigation for allegedly setting up a criminal network worth millions of euros to secure commissions on face mask contracts during the pandemic.<\/p>\n The plot extended to the public works sectors, leading Supreme Court judge Leopoldo Puente to open a separate line of investigation into rigged construction tenders in September. Recent evidence from the Civil Guard revealed<\/a> the prime minister\u2019s allies also operated outside Spain, with potential operations in Morocco and Gabon.<\/p>\n Spanish magistrates warned that the real concern is the government\u2019s escalating public attacks on judges conducting high-profile corruption probes. S\u00e1nchez and his ministers have repeatedly alluded to a \u201cpolitical war\u201d waged by reactionaries against Spain\u2019s socialist-led coalition.<\/p>\n \u201cJudicial authorities have always been criticised for not acting as they should, but never in such a systemic and open way,\u201d magistrate Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez told Euractiv.<\/p>\n Magistrate Fernando Portillo agreed, accusing government officials of casting doubts on the independence of the Spanish judiciary, which \u201cnot only normalises but legitimises attacks on the country\u2019s judges and prosecutors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are facing an unusual moment,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said, adding that S\u00e1nchez\u2019s government \u201cis setting a very dangerous precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n Mounting troubles<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, several turbulent cases have rocked Spanish politics but received less international media attention, including the \u201cLeire D\u00edez case.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, a Madrid court began a trial centring on D\u00edez, an ex-socialist official under investigation<\/a> for allegedly staging a smear campaign against Civil Guard agents and prosecutors probing the prime minister\u2019s inner circle.<\/p>\n Prosecutor Ignacio Stampa, who testified<\/a> as a victim in the trial, provided the judge with recordings in which D\u00edez claimed that the premier had given direct orders to \u201cclean up\u201d after prosecutors began investigating his wife in 2024.<\/p>\n Similarly, socialist lawmakers have been embroiled in the \u201cMediador Case,\u201d concerning<\/a> the alleged manipulation of public works contracts in the Canary Islands, which involved EU funds.<\/p>\n However, beyond the courts, the fact remains that the Spanish government cannot legislate after S\u00e1nchez\u2019s Catalan ally Junts broke with his party last month.<\/p>\n