Investigators from the Unidad Central Operativa of the Guardia Civil questioned several people as witnesses in late September in Badajoz According to consistent reports and references in case documents, the statements relate to an alleged group around Leire Díez, which is said to have tried to gather information about the judge’s work Beatriz Biedma or put pressure on those around her. Biedma had led the investigation in the case David Sánchez .
The investigating judge responsible at the Audiencia Nacional, Santiago Pedraz, has formally admitted judge Biedma as an injured party in the proceedings and scheduled her hearing for 8 October 2026. In his orders, Pedraz stresses that statements, private notes and other indications must first be linked to reliable evidence before legally tenable conclusions can be drawn from them. In recent rulings, he has provisionally declined to investigate some hypotheses, such as deliberate surveillance by people connected to a drug clan in Badajoz, because the case file so far provides no sufficient basis for them.
The questioning in Badajoz forms part of a wide-ranging investigation by the Guardia Civil and the public prosecutor’s office. According to investigative reports covered by several Spanish media outlets, the Unidad Central Operativa has documented earlier contacts between Leire Díez and senior figures in the security services. These accounts list chat records, mobile phone data and witness statements among the evidence. These are attributed or alleged events; no final legal assessment has been made.
In September, Biedma had already applied to appear as a private prosecutor in the case involving Leire Díez. This came amid publications about possible attempts to gather information on and intimidate her in her role as an investigating judge in Badajoz. The investigation is being conducted centrally in Madrid. It aims to establish whether attempts were made to improperly influence ongoing judicial work, and who might bear criminal or disciplinary responsibility for this.
How the proceedings develop will depend to a large extent on whether the statements collected in Badajoz are consistent with other evidence obtained independently. If the allegations are confirmed, the accused could face sanctions for coercion, obstruction of justice or related offences. Until then, all those involved are presumed innocent. The Audiencia Nacional has ordered further questioning and analysis of evidence.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).