Investigation probes Venezuelan gold gifts to Spanish officials as possible PSOE funding
Spanish authorities are examining whether gold coins and a kilogram-size gold bar delivered by Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez to José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García were intended to finance the PSOE.
During a 2020 visit to Madrid, Venezuela’s then-vice president Delcy Rodríguez delivered 24-karat gold coins to José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García at Barajas airport, later followed by a kilogram gold bar sent to the pair in Caracas. The Guardia Civil’s UCO is probing whether a portion of this gold was channeled to fund the PSOE, citing a photo of the bar, intercepted mobile messages that mention “coins” and “txistorras” (500-euro bills), and statements from Víctor de Aldama that commissions were partially allocated to party costs.
The investigation also examines communications between García and his former wife Patricia Úriz, and a meeting in Caracas in October 2021. The case is being heard in the Audiencia Nacional, with magistrate Ismael Moreno reviewing alleged illegal financing spanning 2017-2024. Venezuelan officials, including former finance minister Simón Zerpa, are implicated through the documented transfer of the gold.
Why it matters
It could reveal illicit foreign financing of a major Spanish political party, raising concerns about corruption and influence.
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