Spanish police are searching the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party as part of an ongoing investigation into possible financial wrongdoing, the Civil Guard said Wednesday.
The raid on the office in central Madrid is another blow to the party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose Socialists have been hammered by a series of corruption scandals.
The Civil Guard said that the police were under judicial orders to find material relevant to a National Court probe into accusations of corruption against a former party member involved in a state-run company.
At a news conference in Rome after meeting Pope Leo, Sanchez stressed that Wednesday's request for documents did not constitute a police search, adding that the party was fully cooperating with the courts and had absolute respect for the judiciary.
Just last week a different court said it was investigating former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling and other possible crimes tied to a government airline bailout. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Sánchez's wife and brother are being probed over allegations of influence peddling, which both have denied.
And, most damning for the Socialists, a former minister under Sánchez and a senior party official are both being investigated on allegations they played a part in a kickback ring that started during the COVID-19 pandemic, which they have denied.
Sánchez, prime minister since 2018, has called the cases against his family a "smear campaign." But the corruption case against his former cohorts led him to ask the nation for "forgiveness" in 2025.
