Guardia Civil Director Admits Meetings With Leire Díez Amid Investigation Controversy

The director general of Spain’s Guardia Civil, Mercedes González, has publicly acknowledged for the first time that she met with Leire Díez—an ex-Socialist Party (PSOE) activist now implicated in a scheme to discredit judicial cases against the party—though she denied any interference in internal investigations or operations targeting the armed corps. The admission, made Thursday, June 4, 2026, marks a sharp turnaround from previous denials by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who had insisted no such meetings occurred.

According to the Unidad Central Operativa (UCO), Spain’s elite counterterrorism and organized crime unit within the Guardia Civil, González met Díez on at least three occasions. The UCO’s investigation—part of a broader probe led by Judge Santiago Pedraz at the Audiencia Nacional—links these meetings to a pattern of leaks within the institution. In one recorded conversation included in the case file, Díez reportedly described González as a figure of “confidence,” fueling suspicions of a coordinated effort to shield certain officers from scrutiny.

González confirmed the first contact occurred during her tenure as the government delegate in Madrid, when Díez served as Correos’ director of institutional relations. At the time, their exchange reportedly centered on labor disputes at the state postal service. However, after González assumed her current role as Guardia Civil director, she admitted to in-person meetings with Díez, including one where the activist raised the case of Commander Rubén Villalba, a high-ranking officer detained early in the “Caso Koldo” investigation—a corruption probe involving alleged collusion between Guardia Civil members and political figures. Díez allegedly asked González whether Villalba could return to active duty, a request the director rejected outright, citing his suspension over suspected involvement in the case.

“I never participated in any operation against any unit of the Guardia Civil, nor did I interfere in any investigation,” González stated in a prepared statement, adding that she convened senior commanders from the UCO and the Judicial Police branch to reaffirm her support for their work after Díez’s role in the leaks became public. The Guardia Civil’s official communication did not specify whether two or three meetings took place, but sources within the institution described Díez’s initial approach as a “mere professional courtesy”—a claim contradicted by the UCO’s assessment that her interactions with González were part of a broader strategy to undermine judicial proceedings.

The revelations have intensified political pressure on González, with the opposition People’s Party (PP) demanding her immediate resignation. In a statement, PP leader César Ezcurra called for a broader overhaul, urging the dismissal of Grande-Marlaska and even Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, framing the crisis as evidence of systemic corruption. “Spain no longer needs explanations—it needs elections to begin national reconstruction,” Ezcurra declared, echoing growing public skepticism over the government’s handling of the affair.

Grande-Marlaska, who had previously dismissed the meetings as nonexistent, defended González’s “exemplary integrity” in a rare public intervention. “I would never tolerate any interference in the Guardia Civil’s operations,” he asserted, though his remarks did little to quell calls for accountability. The UCO’s probe remains active, with investigators scrutinizing González’s communications with Díez and whether her alleged influence extended beyond isolated conversations. To date, neither the Public Prosecutor’s Office nor Judge Pedraz has formally charged González with any wrongdoing, though the case continues to unfold amid mounting scrutiny.

The Guardia Civil, Spain’s primary law enforcement agency for national security and organized crime, operates under the authority of the Interior Ministry but maintains a semi-autonomous status akin to a military corps. Its UCO unit is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most effective counterterrorism and cybercrime divisions, though its reputation has suffered in recent years amid high-profile scandals involving political interference and internal leaks.

As the investigation deepens, the focus remains on whether González’s contacts with Díez constitute obstruction of justice or undue influence—a distinction that could determine the trajectory of Spain’s political crisis in the months ahead.