Guardia Civil commander confirms Leire Díez offered him a top post in exchange for damaging UCO intel, citing orders from 'the one'
Rubén Villalba told a Madrid court that former PSOE militant Leire Díez promised to make him an advisor to the Guardia Civil chief if he supplied compromising information on the anti-corruption unit, claiming she acted on behalf of 'the one' in government.
Villalba's testimony
Commander Rubén Villalba, currently suspended and under investigation in the separate 'Koldo case', appeared before judge Santiago Pedraz at the Audiencia Nacional on Tuesday. He ratified the statement he gave to the Guardia Civil's UCO on 28 May, confirming two meetings with Leire Díez on 10 and 26 March 2025. According to judicial sources, Villalba said Díez asked for 'compromising information' on the UCO, specifically targeting lieutenant colonel Antonio Balas and captain Bonilla.
She told me she came from 'the one' from above, meaning the Government and the PSOE.
The 'one' and the offers
In exchange for the information, Díez offered to rehabilitate Villalba's career, restore his honour, and secure him a post as advisor to Mercedes González, the director general of the Guardia Civil. She also floated the possibility of a position at the Spanish embassy in Rome. Villalba said he attended the meetings only to assess whether Díez could deliver on her promises, concluding she could not. He rejected all offers and did not hand over any material.
The objective of the meeting was none other than to obtain compromising information about the Guardia Civil.
The wider investigation
Judge Pedraz is probing an alleged criminal network led by Díez and former PSOE organisation secretary Santos Cerdán, aimed at sabotaging judicial proceedings affecting the government of Pedro Sánchez and his inner circle. The case spans nine potential offences, including criminal organisation and disclosure of secrets. Mercedes González, who has acknowledged that Díez suggested Villalba's reassignment, is due to testify as a suspect on 16 July. She has stated she 'never ever' took part in any plot against the UCO.
I have never, ever participated in any plot against the UCO, neither influenced by Leire Díez nor by anyone else.
Other witnesses and media links
Also testifying on Tuesday were Francisco Ortega, who arranged the meetings between Díez and Villalba, and journalist Patricia Isabel Espinar, linked to the digital outlet Crónica Libre. The UCO has flagged a €20,000 payment the PSOE allegedly made to Grupo Crónica Libre via an agency in April–May 2024, framing it as an advertising campaign. The judge notes that Crónica Libre, founded in April 2022, played a 'preponderant role' in disseminating information gathered by the network.
- First meeting between Leire Díez and Rubén Villalba.
- Second meeting; Villalba records images, later published by EL MUNDO.
- Díez meets Mercedes González and asks for Villalba's rehabilitation.
- Villalba testifies before the UCO, detailing the two encounters.
- Villalba ratifies his statement before judge Santiago Pedraz.
- Mercedes González scheduled to testify as a suspect.
What comes next
The investigation continues to tighten around senior PSOE figures. With Villalba's testimony now on the record and González's appearance scheduled for mid-July, the court is piecing together how far the alleged plot reached into the government and the party apparatus.
