Spanish Court Sentences Ex-Minister Ábalos to 24 Years for Pandemic Graft

Spain's Supreme Court has handed down a significant prison sentence to former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, condemning him to 24 years and 3 months for his role in irregularities concerning mask purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic and the improper hiring of individuals in public companies. The court's unanimous decision also imposed a 19-year prison term on Ábalos's former advisor, Koldo García.

Ábalos, once a close confidant of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and a high-ranking official in the Socialist party (PSOE), was tried alongside García and businessman Víctor de Aldama. The case centered on allegations of illegal commissions in contracts for mask procurement during the health crisis. The court found Ábalos and García guilty of criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, and influence peddling, emphasizing the severe damage such corruption inflicts on public trust in the political system.

Víctor de Aldama, a key figure in the scheme who confessed to paying bribes, received a more lenient sentence of 4 and a half years. However, his prison term has been suspended on the condition that he commits no further offenses, submits semiannual activity reports, and completes a year of community service. Aldama's cooperation with the justice system followed his previous detention for hydrocarbon fraud, during which he implicated Ábalos and García in receiving bribes in exchange for favorable treatment in mask contracts.

The Supreme Court found that the evidence proved crimes related to the awarding of 13 million masks by state entities under Ábalos's ministry to Soluciones de Gestión, a company linked to Aldama. Aldama profited from commissions, which he then funneled to Ábalos and García. The court detailed that Aldama channeled 6.6 million euros through two companies and that Ábalos and García requested substantial sums from him. Furthermore, the court established that Aldama paid Ábalos and García 10,000 euros monthly from October 2019 to June 2022. Ábalos also faces convictions for nepotism in public companies concerning his former partner, Jéssica Rodríguez, and for the improper use of funds for rent.

“

mordidas