The third day of the Azud proceedings marks another round of disclosures tied to a separate investigative piece that scrutinizes alleged bribes paid to PSPV-PSOE leaders. These bribes are said to have supported the party during the 2007 election cycle, a claim that has sparked ongoing questions about how campaign funding intersected with political favors and public decisions.
Civil Guard agents from the Central Operations Unit, economic crime group III, were summoned yesterday to serve as witnesses. Their testimony involved three party employees and several mayors. The process continued into the morning as witnesses, who appeared without legal representation, were asked to provide truthful statements about the allegations that prompted the inquiry. The atmosphere in the room reflected the seriousness of the matter, with a steady cadence of questions designed to illuminate relationships, contracts, and payments that may reveal the extent of influence exerted over municipal decisions.
Details about this separate piece of the Azud investigation remain confidential. The Civil Guard’s UCO has chosen to withhold specific information about the ongoing inquiry. However, it is clear that Catalonia has been a focal point since the second phase of Operation Azud, and interrogations have revealed an interest in the ties between the PSPV-PSOE chief financial officer, who also held the role of former vice president of Bancaixa, and various local actors dating back to 1999 through 2004. This line of inquiry points to a broader pattern that investigators are trying to map, connecting financial arrangements with public appointments and council decisions across the region.
The narrative surrounding this period intensified after May 13, 2021, when judicial actions culminated in the arrest of a former PSPV spokesperson at the Valencia City Council and a subordinate government official, along with a former deputy mayor of Valencia, as well as a businessman. The accusations centered on a scheme involving commissions and the exchange of gifts in return for favorable civic treatment. The scope suggested a network where private interests could have influenced the awarding of contracts and the prioritization of certain municipal projects, raising questions about governance and transparency during that era.
In the first phase of the Azud investigation, conducted by the UCO on April 2, 2019, a detainee named José María Corbín—brother-in-law to the former mayor of Valencia, Rita Barberá—came under scrutiny. The connections drawn in the inquiry extended beyond a single individual, hinting at a more expansive web of relationships that linked political leadership with business sectors. This broader context is essential to understanding how the investigation unfolded and why the focus extended to multiple municipalities within the Valencian Community.
Although José María Cataluña was not arrested on May 13, 2021, investigators secured critical documentary evidence. The authorities were able to confirm transfers between Jucar and Vinalopo and to locate numerous documents and notes related to contracts across various municipalities. Those involved in the Azud case believe Cataluña facilitated connections between businessman Jaime María Febrer and PSPV-run municipalities during the years covered by the investigation, from 2005 to 2013. The recovered documentation is believed to have triggered the opening of the separate piece being examined, as the case moved into a phase characterized by heightened secrecy and ongoing legal proceedings for all parties concerned.
UCO agents also played a role in the 2007 election campaign, which featured the PSPV-PSOE candidate for the Generalitat. They identified payments routed through commercial intermediaries, with funds flowing from Jaime Febrer to advertising companies operating in the United States. The case summary indicates that the PSPV-PSOE campaign expenditure amounted to more than 240,000 euros, a figure that has attracted significant attention as investigators seek to determine whether such expenditures correlated with political favors or policies that favored certain interests.