Rajoy Faces Trial Over Alleged Destruction of Evidence in PP’s B-Box Corruption Case

Mariano Rajoy is scheduled to testify as a witness on April 23, 2026, in the trial of the Kitchen case, which investigates an alleged parapolice operation to spy on Luis Bárcenas and steal documentation from him during the People’s Party government.

The National Court has confirmed that former President Mariano Rajoy, former Minister of Defense María Dolores de Cospedal, and former Minister of Interior Juan Ignacio Zoido will testify as witnesses in the case, with current Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska summoned to appear on May 11.

The Kitchen case is part of the broader Villarejo case and examines the alleged illegal use of public resources for political purposes, including the use of reserved funds outside judicial control to target Bárcenas, the party’s former treasurer.

Both Rajoy and Cospedal have previously denied knowledge of the so-called Operation Kitchen, which is accused of seeking to clarify irregularities in party financing and the destruction of evidence related to undeclared funds.

Luis Bárcenas, who served as party treasurer and senator, had previously testified in the case, stating that his handwritten accounts—known as the “Bárcenas papers”—identified Mariano Rajoy as a recipient of alleged illegal cash payments from a parallel bookkeeping system used by the People’s Party.

The Bárcenas papers, which cover the period from 1990 to 2009, have already been judicially validated and sentenced, confirming the existence of a slush fund used to pay bonuses to senior party members and cover daily expenses.

En sus papeles M.R. Era Mariano Rajoy.

Luis Bárcenas

The current trial focuses on the alleged destruction of evidence and the use of public funds to conceal the Party’s alleged “caja B” (slush fund), with Bárcenas testifying as both a witness and a victim in the proceedings.

The outcome of the testimony from Rajoy, Cospedal, and other officials may determine whether new evidence emerges that could alter the understanding of the case, particularly regarding the alleged cover-up of illegal financing.

The case remains under investigation by Spain’s National Court, with further hearings scheduled in the coming weeks.