The role of Susana Sumelzo, who is presently the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and a Socialist leader historically aligned with Pedro Sánchez, has swiftly transitioned from institutional discretion to being at the center of media attention. Numerous press articles have highlighted public contracts granted to firms associated with her family and her ties to companies under scrutiny in the so-called “Koldo case” and the alleged network involving Santos Cerdán, which has reignited the discussion on potential conflicts of interest within the Prime Minister’s inner circle.
Who is Susana Sumelzo and what part does she play in “sanchismo”?
Susana Sumelzo Jordán (Zaragoza, 1969) is a seasoned leader of the PSOE. For over ten years, she has been a senator and a member of parliament representing Zaragoza, and since December 2023, she has occupied the position of Secretary of State for Ibero-America and the Caribbean and for Spanish in the World, within 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 placed Sumelzo S.A. under scrutiny after detecting a payment of 12,100 euros to the company Servinabar —a firm allegedly used by Santos Cerdán and his partner Antxon Alonso to channel commissions in the face-mask scheme and other contracts— at a time that coincides with significant awards to the family construction company.
Overlapping headquarters and family companies in investigated schemes
The controversy is compounded by other “corporate coincidences” revealed by media outlets such as El Debate, El Español and Esdiario. On the one hand, investigative reports indicate that Sumelzo S.A.’s headquarters in Zaragoza are in the same building as Soluciones de Gestión S.L., a key company 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 become a crucial point for those discussing a business “ecosystem” surrounding Sumelzo’s family, which has benefited from decisions made by administrations led by the PSOE. However, at present, the investigations are focused on the companies and individuals such as 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, becomes part of the collection of matters that are eroding the PSOE and Sánchez’s Government’s reputation for integrity, against a backdrop of increasing public skepticism towards institutions and intensified demands for transparency in the links between politics and business.
For now, the answer lies within three elements:
- The progression of inquiries conducted by the UCO and the National Court concerning the networks of public contracts involving companies associated with the Sumelzo family.
- Potential upcoming judicial rulings, which might either limit responsibilities or, conversely, expand the scope of the cases.
- The political reaction from Moncloa and the PSOE, both regarding the acceptance of responsibilities and the implementation of reforms to mechanisms intended to avert 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.
