Conviction of a staunch ally of the prime minister has sent shockwaves across Spain, with speculation of further damaging revelations to come
MADRID – The historic conviction of a Spanish minister has dealt significant reputational damage to Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, and his embattled Socialists, and could be a turning point in ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the executive.
On Monday, José Luis Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years in prison by the Supreme Court on charges including membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling.
A heavyweight in the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE), Ábalos was a key ally in Sánchez’s 2018 rise to power. He was convicted – alongside his aide Koldo García and businessman Víctor de Aldama – for running a criminal network within the national transport ministry to secure illicit kickbacks from rigged pandemic-era health tenders.
Political storm
