The Central Operational Unit of Spain’s Guardia Civil has placed the Basque Nationalist Party, known as the PNV, under scrutiny in connection with the public rescue package granted to Tubos Reunidos. The operation, worth 112.8 million euros and approved by SEPI in 2021, appears in the investigation led by Judge Santiago Pedraz as part of a broader inquiry into alleged influence peddling around state-backed business bailouts.
Reports referenced by Libertad Digital and Vozpópuli indicate that investigators uncovered messages from the Hirurok group mentioning potential contacts with the PNV to advance the Tubos Reunidos case, and those exchanges linked the supposed discussions with Basque nationalist figures to the rapid approval that the rescue package eventually received.
The UCO report explains that the Tubos Reunidos case was once more presented to the FASEE Management Council on July 13, 2021, where it ultimately obtained approval. Prior to that resolution, the intercepted messages allegedly emphasized the need to determine the PNV’s stance on the hurdles affecting the procedure, including objections attributed to the area of the State Secretariat for Economy.
The inquiry also draws attention to Antxon Alonso, a business associate of Santos Cerdán at Servinabar, along with Leire Díez and Vicente Fernández, the former president of SEPI. The case file suggests that they were ostensibly involved in actions related to the bailout of Tubos Reunidos and received an estimated commission of about 115,000 euros for their alleged role.
After public aid had been authorized, Tubos Reunidos entered into a contract on December 1, 2021, with Mediaciones Martínez, a firm linked to Antxon Alonso. The deal set out yearly payments of 60,000 euros for advisory and business development services, though the UCO contends that these sums might in fact have served as remuneration for work performed during the bailout process.
The case also affects the former leadership of the PNV due to meetings held with representatives of Tubos Reunidos and people linked to the alleged network under investigation. According to the cited documentation, Andoni Ortuzar, then president of the party, and Joseba Aurrekoetxea, its head of Organization, attended a meeting on January 28, 2025, with company executives and Vicente Fernández.
That meeting was said to be part of a later phase of actions involving Tubos Reunidos, centered on an effort to defer a 10 million euro payment to SEPI, and the UCO notes that the request moved rapidly, receiving internal approvals between March 21 and March 25, 2025 and earning a favorable recommendation from the FASEE Business Committee on March 28.
The revelations have triggered unease inside the PNV. According to Vozpópuli, party sources acknowledge that the situation is sensitive and that the current leadership will seek to separate the party’s present course from the contacts maintained during Ortuzar’s period at the helm. The strategy would involve placing political responsibility for those meetings on the former president while protecting the position of Aitor Esteban.
The internal tension comes amid debate over the PNV’s relationship with Pedro Sánchez. A sector close to Basque premier Imanol Pradales reportedly believes that continuing to support the PSOE could harm the electoral prospects of the Basque nationalists, particularly as EH Bildu gains ground and the central government faces growing pressure from corruption scandals surrounding its political environment.
Although tensions persist, Vozpópuli notes that the PNV leadership is not considering severing ties with Sánchez or backing a PP initiative against the government. The party intends to preserve its partnership with the PSOE, driven by national strategic considerations and by the institutional equilibrium in the Basque Country, where Socialist backing continues to be crucial for the regional administration.
The Tubos Reunidos case has therefore become a new source of political pressure for the PNV, which is trying to contain the impact of the UCO’s references while avoiding a rupture with Spain’s central government. The ongoing judicial investigation will determine the real scope of the alleged contacts, the role of the intermediaries, and the extent to which political figures may have influenced the approval of public aid.
Origin: Libertad Digital and Vozpópuli.
