Spains Supreme Court warns Snchez governments appointments fuel systemic corruption

The Supreme Court has warned that the "colonisation" of public institutions by the Sánchez government is fuelling systemic corruption, as magistrates in Madrid ruled on Thursday that existing oversight mechanisms have failed. In a 25 June ruling, the court’s full panel of justices accused successive administrations of packing state-owned enterprises with political appointees, creating what it called a “germ of corruption” that now extends across ministries and regulatory bodies. The decision, published the same day, marks the first time the Supreme Court has explicitly linked institutional capture to the proliferation of graft cases that have dominated Spanish politics since 2020.

The ruling follows a series of high-profile investigations into alleged kickback schemes in public contracting, including the Gürtel and ERE cases, where prosecutors have documented how politically connected firms secured contracts worth hundreds of millions of euros. In its 32-page judgment, the court cited “the failure of internal administrative controls” and singled out the Sánchez administration’s practice of appointing party loyalists to senior posts in companies such as Renfe, Correos and ADIF. “When the state itself becomes an instrument of partisan control, the rule of law is the first casualty,” the justices wrote, quoting a 2024 report by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption watchdog.

The decision arrives amid a separate legal battle over Málaga’s low-emission zone (ZBE), where the Andalusian High Court (TSJA) ruled on 25 June that fining drivers based on vehicle registration addresses is discriminatory. The TSJA’s judgment, handed down the same day, found that Málaga city council’s policy of targeting cars registered outside the city disproportionately penalised commuters and small businesses. The council has signalled it will appeal to the Supreme Court, but has not suspended enforcement, leaving an estimated 12,000 fines issued since January in legal limbo. A spokesperson for Málaga’s mayor confirmed that the city is reviewing the ruling and will decide within 10 days whether to escalate the case.

Across Europe, property markets are also facing judicial scrutiny. In Greece, a new digital property registry (MIDA) launched on 1 June has already triggered fines of up to €1,000 for owners whose floor-area declarations do not match cadastral records. The system, which cross-references MIDA data with tax filings, has prompted thousands of appeals and forced municipalities to reopen property tax (ENFIA) assessments. Meanwhile, in Sweden, a survey published on 25 June revealed that permit fees for farm-gate wine sales vary by a factor of 25 between municipalities, with Huddinge charging SEK 25,000 and Falkenberg just SEK 1,010. The industry association Visita has called the disparities “unreasonable” and urged the government to set a national ceiling.