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 role 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 been involved in the federal executive and for years has been regarded as one of Pedro Sánchez’s loyal lieutenants, being part of his trusted inner circle since the primaries that reinstated him to the general secretariat in 2017. Some media outlets and individuals within the party already refer to 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 root of the controversy can be traced to public works contracts granted to the Aragonese construction company Sumelzo S.A., associated with the Secretary of State’s father and brother. As reported by The Objective, since Sánchez took office at La Moncloa, the company has secured contracts worth approximately 16 million euros in recent years through the Ebro River Basin Authority and other agencies under Socialist-led ministries, with the majority awarded during Teresa Ribera’s period 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collector, with a budget of 10 million euros, whose award ultimately went to Sumelzo S.A. after the contract was withdrawn from a different company that had initially won the tender.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 Civil Guard’s Central Operational Unit (UCO) has launched an investigation into Sumelzo S.A. after uncovering a payment of 12,100 euros to Servinabar. This company is allegedly used by Santos Cerdán and his partner Antxon Alonso to channel commissions linked to the face-mask operation and several other contracts, coinciding with significant contracts awarded to the family construction firm.
Overlapping headquarters and family companies in investigated schemes
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, 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: stress on Moncloa and the “circle of trust” storyline
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 currently depicting the reports about Sumelzo as elements of an alleged «broader scheme» involving favors and contracts to firms linked with the President’s trusted circle, highlighting that the Secretary of State ranks among his closest political allies and stressing the volume of public works awarded to the family construction company during Socialist administrations, both regional and national.
Yet another open question 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 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 continues to hold her position and asserts that her political career is entirely separate from her family’s business activities.
