By Christina Thykjaer & Euronews en español
Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, once a senior figure in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party (PSOE), to 24 years in prison for his role in a corruption scheme linked to the award of face mask contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court also sentenced his former aide Koldo García to 19 years in prison and businessman Víctor de Aldama to four and a half years.
The ruling, unanimously adopted by a seven-judge panel, found that the three men formed a criminal organisation with clearly defined roles aimed at obtaining financial benefits through corrupt practices. Ábalos and García were convicted of offences including participation in a criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement of public funds and influence peddling.
According to the judgment, the scheme played a role in the awarding of contracts for the supply of 13 million face masks to Spain's state-owned entities Puertos del Estado and railway infrastructure operator Adif through a company linked to Aldama during the most critical stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court found that Ábalos received a series of benefits in exchange for promoting business interests. These included a monthly payment of €10,000 for what were described as his "fixed expenses", the payment of housing costs for a person in his inner circle and the hiring of two women linked to the former minister at public companies overseen by the Transport Ministry.
