Podemos's Unknown Role in the David Sánchez Case: From the First Complainant to Silence

The corruption case, which emerged due to the public duty given by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to his brother David Sánchez and is called 'nepotism' (hermanísimo), concluded. With the decision given by the Badajoz Provincial Court, David Azagra and PSOE's former secretary in Extremadura, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, were banned from public office. Despite the court's decision, Spain's qualification for the World Cup final caused the news to remain in the shadows.

In the discussions regarding the case, the obscure role played by the opposition Podemos party draws attention. While Podemos spokesperson Pablo Fernández claims that it was the party that brought the case to light, investigative journalist Alejandro Entrambasaguas emphasized that journalistic work brought the issue to the judiciary. In reality, in 2017, Podemos's Extremadura general secretary Álvaro Jaén was the first person to officially complain to the authorities about the lack of transparency in this appointment process.

In the party's complaints at the time, it was stated that the appointed position did not previously exist, that not even a music teaching diploma was required for the position, and that there was no fair evaluation board. However, Jaén, who was the party's initial complainant, refused to discuss the issue in January 2025 and fell into silence. Podemos's current leader Ione Belarra welcomed the decision, hoping that nepotism in Spain would now face sanctions.