Autumn ablaze in courtrooms: Shifting focus from the Koldo case to the State Prosecutor and Pujol, with Gürtel as another hot topic

The Spanish courts are gearing up to tackle a series of high-profile cases in the coming months, marking the start of a new judicial year.

One of the most anticipated cases is the Gürtel case, which has been closely linked to the Popular Party. With all the accused except one confessing during the successive hearings, the case is nearing its end.

Another significant case is the one linked to 'Operation Kitchen', set to start on April 6, 2026. The trial will prosecute several individuals for crimes including criminal organization or illicit association, money laundering, tax evasion, and document falsification.

The operation known as "Operation Púnica" is investigating the irregular awarding of municipal contracts to the company Cofely between 2012 and 2014. Most of the accused have confessed in the trial, and the proceedings are ongoing.

The case against former president of the Generalitat Jordi Pujol is expected to be one of the first to see the light in the coming months. Pujol is under investigation for various crimes, including money laundering and tax evasion.

The Supreme Court has also requested data on all payments made to the former secretary of Organization of the PSOE between 2014 and 2024, and information from the PSOE about all payments or donations made to Cerdán and Koldo since 2014.

In a separate case, Begoña Gómez, wife of the President of the Government, is under investigation by the Court of Instruction Number 41 of Madrid for alleged embezzlement in the hiring of her advisor in Moncloa. Cristina Álvarez, an advisor to the President of the Government, is also scheduled to appear as an investigated party in the same case.

The Attorney General of the State, Álvaro García Ortiz, is being prosecuted for a suspected crime of revealing secrets. The National Court has set the beginning of this procedure for November 10.

Alvise Pérez, the MEP of Se Acabó La Fiesta (SALF), is under investigation by the Supreme Court for receiving 100,000 euros from businessman Álvaro Romillo to finance his campaign for the European elections of June 9, 2024. Pérez is also under investigation for crimes of forgery and defamation for the dissemination of a false COVID-19 test result of the current president and former Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, in 2021, and also for messages he sent on the Telegram social network against the Valencia hate crimes prosecutor, Susana Gisbert.

David Sánchez, brother of the President of the Government, was indicted last April for a crime of prevarication and influence peddling.

The judge leading the indictment in the case involving Álvaro Romillo's employee and MEP Alvise Pérez is Judge Carmen Lamela.

The opening ceremony of the judicial year marks the start of the period of activity in the Spanish courts, and the courts are prepared to bring these cases to a resolution. The sessions of some trials, such as the Gürtel case and the trial against Jordi Pujol and others, are expected to extend until April 2026.