Spain's Ex-Transport Minister Sentenced To 24 Years For Corruption

OVIEDO (Spain), June 22 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Spain's Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos to 24 years and three months in prison for corruption offences linked to the purchase of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

The ruling marks the first verdict in the so-called Koldo case, a sprawling corruption scandal that has shaken Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist Party and spawned multiple related investigations.

The court convicted Abalos, a former close ally of Sanchez and one-time organisational secretary of the ruling Socialist Party, of criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling.

Abalos' former adviser, Koldo Garcia, was also sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. Businessman Victor de Aldama received a four-and-a-half-year sentence but was spared immediate imprisonment if he complies with certain conditions.

Prosecutors argued that the three men formed a criminal network that used Abalos' position as transport minister to obtain illicit profits through public contracts awarded during the pandemic.

The court found that a company linked to Aldama received contracts to supply 13 million masks to two state-owned transport entities during the pandemic.

Judges also concluded that Abalos received €10,000 (US$11,600) a month from the scheme and that two women linked to the former minister were hired by public companies.

According to the ruling, Aldama provided housing and other benefits to Abalos and people close to him, including apartments in Madrid and southern Spain. The court found that some of those benefits were also linked to actions involving the Air Europa bailout and the granting of a hydrocarbons licence.

The case has become one of the most politically damaging corruption scandals facing Sanchez's government, although Abalos was expelled from the Socialist Party after becoming embroiled in the investigation.

The broader Koldo affair has since expanded beyond pandemic procurement contracts and includes separate investigations into alleged public works contract manipulation, illegal commissions and suspected cash payments linked to senior political figures.

The scandal has contributed to the downfall of Santos Cerdan, Abalos' successor as the Socialist Party's organisational secretary, who is under separate investigation.

Opposition parties have repeatedly cited the affair in calls for Sanchez to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU