Susana Sumelzo, currently serving as the Secretary of State for Ibero-America and a Socialist leader historically aligned with Pedro Sánchez, has seen her role shift rapidly from institutional discretion to becoming a focal point of media attention. Various press articles have spotlighted public contracts awarded to companies linked to her family and her connections to firms under investigation in the so-called “Koldo case” and the alleged network involving Santos Cerdán, which has reignited the debate 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.
Agreements with the family business Sumelzo S.A. and the UCO’s examination
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 range from adaptation and maintenance works on irrigation canals to major projects such as the Valdeliberola collector, with a budget of 10 million euros, whose award ultimately went to Sumelzo S.A. after the contract was withdrawn from a different company that had initially won the tender.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.
Explored plans include intertwined headquarters and family enterprises
The controversy is intensified by additional “corporate coincidences” uncovered by media outlets like El Debate, El Español, and Esdiario. On one side, investigative reports reveal that Sumelzo S.A.’s headquarters in Zaragoza are located in the same building as Soluciones de Gestión S.L., a pivotal company in the face-mask scheme associated with former minister José Luis Ábalos and the Koldo case.
In addition, it is reported that a business owned by either Susana Sumelzo’s father or a cousin shared its registered office with Servinabar, the company of Santos Cerdán, which is currently being investigated for allegedly receiving kickbacks in public contracts.
These overlaps in registered addresses and business relationships have become a central argument for those who speak of a business “ecosystem” around Sumelzo’s family that has benefited from decisions taken by administrations governed by the PSOE. However, as of today, the investigations are focused on the companies and on figures such as Cerdán and his partners, not on the Secretary of State as an individual.
The political reading: pressure on Moncloa and the “circle of trust” narrative
Politically, this situation arises at a time when Pedro Sánchez’s Government is already facing substantial consequences from other corruption investigations involving people in his circle, like the Koldo case, probes into contracts awarded during the pandemic, and the cases launched regarding 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.
Yet another open question in the PSOE’s credibility crisis
The Sumelzo case thus adds to the list of fronts eroding the image of integrity of the PSOE and Sánchez’s Government, in a context of growing public distrust towards institutions and increasing demands for transparency in the ties between politics and business.
For the moment, the solution is found in three components:
- 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 remains in her post and maintains that her political career is “completely independent” from her family’s business activities.
