Spain's Supreme Court condemns former minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years' imprisonment for corruption
Former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos has been sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment for corruption offences, embezzlement and abuse of power in a case involving irregular contracts for face masks during the pandemic.
Spain's Supreme Court condemns former minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years' imprisonment for corruption
Spain's highest judicial authority has imposed a 24-year prison sentence on former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos. The sentence, approved unanimously, condemns him for membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, misappropriation of public funds and abuse of power.
His former adviser, Koldo García, received a 19-year sentence for the same offences. Both have been held in provisional detention for several months and denied the accusations during trial.
The case centred on irregular contracts for the procurement of millions of face masks during the Covid-19 health crisis. According to the tribunal, the accused formed a gang with division of roles that committed serious acts of corruption. In exchange for facilitating such contracts, Ábalos allegedly received monthly salary supplements, paid family holidays, favours for his mistresses and even payment for prostitutes.
A third defendant, businessman Víctor de Aldama, was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment, although execution of the sentence was suspended pending his cooperation with investigators.
During the proceedings, De Aldama had pointed to government president Pedro Sánchez as the mastermind of the scheme, accusations that the socialist leader flatly rejected. The Popular Party and Vox have demanded the resignation of the head of government and early elections.
Source: RTBF
Source: RTBF Info