The investigation and subsequent trial have intensified pressure on Pedro Sánchez
MADRID – Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison on corruption charges, deepening pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his ruling Socialists.
Ábalos, a former Sánchez ally and one-time PSOE number three was convicted of membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, influence peddling and embezzlement for his role in a network that profited from public contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court also sentenced Ábalos’ former aide, Koldo García, to 19 years in prison and businessman Víctor de Aldama to four-and-a-half years for operating a scheme that allegedly secured illegal commissions through the manipulation of public procurement contracts.
Judges said it was proven that a company linked to Aldama received a contract to supply 13 million face masks at the height of the health crisis. The ruling also found that Ábalos received monthly payments of €10,000 from Aldama to cover “fixed expenses”.
