Spain's ex-Transport Minister sentenced to 24 years for corruption
Former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years in prison for multiple corruption offences, including illegal commissions in the purchase of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spain's ex-Transport Minister sentenced to 24 years for corruption
Former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, who served in President Pedro Sánchez's government, was sentenced on Monday to 24 years in prison for a series of corruption offences. This verdict is the first in a series of legal cases linked to the governing Socialist Party.
Spain's Supreme Court found evidence of corruption in the awarding of a contract for 13 million face masks to companies linked to businessman Víctor de Aldama during the COVID-19 pandemic. De Aldama pleaded guilty to channelling illicit commissions and received a sentence of four and a half years, suspended.
The judges also discovered monthly payments of €10,000 to Ábalos for "fixed expenses", as well as the hiring of two of his associates at public companies. One of these associates had his housing expenses covered.
The exceptionally long sentence reflects the accumulation of felonies committed and the damage to public trust caused by a minister of such rank breaking the rules. However, the actual time Ábalos will serve is limited by Spanish law to approximately 16 and a half years.
The sentence comes as more than a dozen people close to President Sánchez are being investigated or tried for corruption, including his wife, his brother and an influential former Socialist president. To date, none of the cases has named Sánchez, who came to power eight years ago promising to clean up politics.
On Monday, the opposition renewed its calls for Sánchez to resign and call elections, an option the executive has ruled out before his term ends in August 2027.
Source: Cyprus Mail
Source: Cyprus Mail