The businesswoman Carmen Pano has reiterated this Thursday before the Supreme Court that she made two deliveries of 45,000 euros in cash at the headquarters of the PSOE on Ferraz street, in reference to her relationship with the businessman Víctor de Aldama and the businesses linked to Claudio Rivas. According to her statement, the money came from transfers she received in her accounts, which she subsequently withdrew in cash to deliver to Aldama, who, according to her version, indicated the destination to her. Pano has also detailed that she made one of the deliveries by taxi and another with the help of the driver Álvaro Gallego.
In parallel, the PSOE has emphatically rejected any link with illegal financing practices. From the party, they insist that there is no record of the receipt of money in cash at Ferraz in the terms described and they underline that the statements are part of an ongoing judicial procedure that must be clarified with evidence. The investigation, which also affects former minister José Luis Ábalos, his former advisor Koldo García and Aldama himself, remains open pending new proceedings and judicial assessments.
In her statement, Carmen Pano detailed the functioning of the alleged economic operation, explaining that she received transfers in her accounts linked to her company from Claudio Rivas, subsequently withdrew the money in cash and delivered it to Víctor de Aldama. According to her version, these deliveries were related to efforts for the obtaining of a license in the field of hydrocarbons, a business in which her closest circle also participated.
The businesswoman also described the relationship with Aldama as initially personal, having been her daughter's partner, and subsequently professional. In this context, she stated that it was she who facilitated contact between Aldama and Rivas, in a meeting that began by addressing investments in restoration and evolved into energy projects. According to her testimony, the company created for these purposes was formally registered in her daughter's name, although effective control would fall to other partners.
Furthermore, Pano linked these operations with alleged political considerations, pointing out that Aldama would have conveyed to him that the then minister José Luis Ábalos "wanted a house", in reference to the acquisition of a property in La Alcaidesa (Cádiz). According to his account, this real estate operation would be part of the agreements linked to the concession of the hydrocarbon operator.
