The figure of Susana Sumelzo, currently Secretary of State for Ibero-America and one of the Socialist leaders historically close to Pedro Sánchez, has in just a few days gone from institutional discretion to the eye of the media storm. Various press reports have focused on public contracts awarded to companies linked to her family and on her connections with companies under investigation in the so-called “Koldo case” and the alleged network surrounding Santos Cerdán, which has reignited the debate on possible conflicts of interest in the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
Who is Susana Sumelzo and what role does she have in “sanchismo”?
Susana Sumelzo Jordán (Zaragoza, 1969) is a veteran PSOE leader. She has served as senator and member of parliament for Zaragoza for more than a decade and, since December 2023, has held the post of Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and for Spanish in the World, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Within the party, Sumelzo has participated in the federal executive and for years has been seen as one of Pedro Sánchez’s dedicated deputies, having been part of his trusted inner circle since the primaries that returned him to the general secretariat in 2017. Some media outlets and individuals within the party already describe her as a close friend of Pedro Sánchez, with whom he might have had a romantic involvement.
Contracts to the family company Sumelzo S.A. and the UCO’s scrutiny
The origin of the controversy can be linked to public works contracts awarded to the Aragonese construction firm Sumelzo S.A., connected to the Secretary of State’s father and brother. According to The Objective, since Sánchez assumed office at La Moncloa, the company has obtained contracts valued at around 16 million euros in recent years through the Ebro River Basin Authority and other agencies under Socialist-led ministries, with most being granted during Teresa Ribera’s tenure at the Ministry for Ecological Transition.
The contracts encompass a variety of tasks, from the adaptation and upkeep of irrigation canals to significant undertakings like the Valdeliberola collector. This project, with a budget of 10 million euros, was ultimately awarded to Sumelzo S.A. after being retracted from another company that had originally secured the tender.
The Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard has put Sumelzo S.A. under investigation following the discovery of a 12,100-euro payment to Servinabar —a company reportedly utilized by Santos Cerdán and his associate Antxon Alonso to funnel commissions related to the face-mask scheme and various other contracts— during a period that aligns with substantial awards to the family construction business.
Explored plans include intertwined headquarters and family enterprises
The controversy has been further fueled by additional “corporate coincidences” brought to light by media outlets such as El Debate, El Español, and Esdiario. On one hand, investigative reports disclose that Sumelzo S.A.’s headquarters in Zaragoza share the same building with Soluciones de Gestión S.L., a key company involved in the face-mask scheme linked to former minister José Luis Ábalos and the Koldo case.
In addition, a company belonging to Susana Sumelzo’s father or a cousin is said to have shared its registered office with Servinabar, the company of Santos Cerdán that is under investigation for allegedly taking kickbacks in public contracts.
These intersections in registered addresses and business connections have emerged as a key point for those discussing a business “ecosystem” surrounding Sumelzo’s family, which has gained from choices made by administrations led by the PSOE. Nevertheless, currently, the investigations are concentrated on the companies and individuals like Cerdán and his associates, rather than on the Secretary of State personally.
The political analysis: pressure on Moncloa and the “circle of trust” narrative
Politically, the case breaks out at a time when Pedro Sánchez’s Government is already bearing a considerable cost from other corruption investigations affecting figures in his entourage, such as the Koldo case, probes into contracts awarded during the pandemic and the cases opened in relation to the professional activities of his wife, Begoña Gómez.
Opposition parties and critical commentators are now portraying the reports concerning Sumelzo as part of a supposed “wider plan” of favors and contracts to companies associated with the President’s trusted circle, emphasizing that the Secretary of State is among his closest political allies and underscoring the amount of public works granted to the family construction company under Socialist administrations, both regional and national.
One more unsolved problem in the PSOE’s credibility crisis
The Sumelzo case, therefore, joins the array of issues that are undermining the PSOE and Sánchez’s Government’s reputation for integrity, amid a backdrop of rising public skepticism towards institutions and heightened calls for transparency in the connections between politics and business.
For now, the answer lies within three elements:
- The investigations carried out by the UCO and the National Court into the networks of public contracts linked to companies related to the Sumelzo family.
- Possible future judicial decisions that could either restrict liabilities or, on the other hand, broaden the scope of the cases.
- The political response from Moncloa and the PSOE, both in terms of accepting responsibilities and implementing reforms to mechanisms designed to prevent conflicts of interest.
In the meantime, Susana Sumelzo continues to hold her position and asserts that her political career is entirely separate from her family’s business activities.
