Historic conviction for José Luis Ábalos: 24 years' imprisonment for corruption
Spain's Supreme Court imposed the most severe penalty against a former minister in the democracy. Ábalos was found guilty of being part of a criminal network, accepting bribes, embezzlement and influence trafficking in public contracts for sanitary material during the pandemic.
Historic conviction for José Luis Ábalos: 24 years' imprisonment for corruption
Spain's Supreme Court issued an unprecedented sentence against former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, condemning him to 24 years and three months in prison. This is the harshest penalty imposed on a former government member in all of Spanish democratic history, in the context of the scandal known as the "Koldo case".
The judges determined that Ábalos committed offences of membership in a criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement of public funds, influence trafficking and falsity in administrative contracts. The agreements investigated corresponded to the acquisition of medical material, such as face masks, during the Covid-19 health crisis, when the politician held a position in the Executive.
His direct collaborator, Koldo García, received a sentence of 19 years' imprisonment. Businessman Víctor de Aldama was sentenced to four and a half years, although the sentence was suspended in exchange for his cooperation with the courts.
During the proceedings, which included 14 judicial sessions, more than 70 people testified, including civil servants, public employees, businessmen, expert witnesses and members of the Unit for Economic and Tax Crime. The court agreed with the Public Prosecutor's Office on almost the entire chain of offences, including the awarding of a contract for 13 million face masks to a firm linked to Aldama, the monthly payment of 10,000 euros as Ábalos's "fixed expenses", and the placement of two women in public companies linked to the former minister.
The Koldo case is part of broader investigations into corruption affecting the circle around former president Pedro Sánchez, who has not been accused in any of the cases and has described the facts as attempts at political destabilisation.
The ruling, published by the newspaper El País, is considered decisive for other chapters of the scandal, as it affects not only Ábalos's career—who was also secretary for organisation of the Socialist Party—but also that of his successor, Santos Cerdán. The opposition is already calling for the government chief to resign and for early elections to be called.
In a parallel proceeding, Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, was committed to trial for alleged corruption. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered her to hand over her passport and report to the authorities twice a month until sentence is passed. That case relates to the creation of a chair at Complutense University of Madrid, which Gómez directed, and the alleged use of public resources for private benefit.
Source: Ta Nea
Source: Ta Nea