PSOE Audit Exposes Lavish Expenses by Ex-Officials Ábalos and Cerdán

An audit commissioned by Spain's Socialist Party (PSOE) into the expenses of former party officials José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán has uncovered a series of "eye-catching" expenditures charged to the organisation, including a restaurant bill from Massana in Andorra.

The report, prepared by university professors following allegations of corruption against the pair—who previously served as the party's organisation secretaries—clears the party of any irregular financing. However, it flags numerous "notoriously improper" costs as excessive or unusual.

Among the highlighted items is a bill from a Massana restaurant, described by the auditors as "particularly eye-catching" due to its location. Other notable expenses include charges at a Paris hotel and restaurants in the Belgian cities of Brussels and Bruges.

The findings, widely reported in Spanish media yesterday, point to specific examples such as a Christmas Day 2019 lunch for nine people, children's menus, and "extraordinary" receipts from a Madrid seafood restaurant. Auditors deemed restaurant bills exceeding €60 per person as excessive; these accounted for 4% to 25% of annual spending, depending on the year.

Particularly high figures included a €332 bill for a single diner at a Madrid seafood spot and nearly €290 for a lunch for three at another capital eatery—far above previous similar occasions.

The report concludes that while no systemic irregularities were found, the flagged expenses warrant further scrutiny. Neither Ábalos nor Cerdán has commented publicly on the audit to date.