Former Minister of Transport and strongman in Pedro Sánchez’s government until July 2021, José Luis Ábalos, slept last night in Madrid’s Soto del Real prison.
Superior Court Judge Leopoldo Puente, who also investigated the group’s deputy … Mixto (since his membership in the PSOE was suspended when the Supreme Court opened a corruption case) yesterday issued an order sending him to preventive detention without the possibility of avoiding bail for both Albalos and his right-hand transport assistant, Koldo García. Consider that there is “Extreme danger” of flying To evade the proceedings of justice, because on November 3 he proposed to prosecute them for the serious crimes of criminal organization, bribery, influence peddling and misappropriation of public funds for the delivery of sanitary material contracts from the Ministry amounting to 53 million euros during the pandemic to Soluciones de Gestión, represented by commission agent Víctor de Aldama, in exchange for gifts and payments amounting to three million that the latter would have paid them.
A week ago, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office filed the indictment against both of them, asking for 24 years’ imprisonment for the first and 19 and a half years for the second, which is why yesterday Prosecutor Alejandro Luzon considered that there was a risk that they would try to avoid prosecution and leave Spain given the high prison sentence they face. The judge expressed his opinion and approved the most restrictive precautionary measure: “The potential risk of the accused escaping the process of justice is, at this moment, extremely high,” can be read in the prison order of Abalos and the order of Koldu, issued after 3:45 p.m., after an intense morning in the Supreme Court.
Abalos arrived at the Supreme Court at 9:10 a.m. in a car he owned, a white Volkswagen Tiguan, with the co-pilot as a passenger. With a serious face and a small leather backpack, he entered to face his back, and hear the precautionary measures, Knowing that I have a lot of possibilities From entering prison. On previous occasions he had arrived by taxi approximately 15 minutes early.
During his appearance, Koldo Garcia was waiting for a statement from Victor de Aldama – whom the Anti-Corruption Commission requires to be imprisoned for seven years, but in his case he did not request a reconsideration of the precautionary measures imposed – in the National Court in the mask case, but in the Canary Islands. Attorney Koldo GarciaLeticia de la Hoz participated in the argument before Central Court of Education Judge 2 and wanted to use the Aldama demonstrations there in the Supreme Court presentation that began at 12:30 p.m. The former counselor is trying to delay his imprisonment. He asked Puente to take into account that there might be a competition problem. It didn’t work. The judge told him that raising the matter was of “questionable origin” and ruled it out.
As the judge wrote the two decisions, Abalos waited nervously and “dejectedly” in the courtyard of the Supreme Court, lighting one cigarette after another.
Both the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and Alberto Duran, the Popular Party’s lawyer, who collects all the popular accusations, asked the judge to impose temporary detention on the accused due to the risk of flight. The Luzon Prosecutor also made a claim against the impunity sought by Abalos. He said that the former minister and former third-in-command of the Socialist Workers’ Party could have committed the crimes he is accused of because of his position in government and that “the power of the state cannot be used to evade justice. Therefore, it is an actor blindfolded”, after the politician’s defence, carried out by former prosecutor Carlos Bautista, was based on the fact that with this measure, Their power has been violated Popular representation in the House of Representatives. Bautista also claimed that it had roots related to his role as a deputy, saying that since the prosecutor’s office filed the indictment eight days ago, he had not fled and had been attending the hearing daily.
“Everyone has the right to learn”
For her part, Koldo Garcia’s lawyer also pointed to his family roots. He said that he had an elderly mother living in Benidorm (Alicante), that he had to take care of her and that he was the only one who could accompany her for walks. He also cared about his daughter’s young age, according to ABC sources who attended the viewing. Even Koldo Garcia himself took a moment to say that «Every person has the right to learn “Little by little”, which the sources interpreted as an admission of mistakes in their actions. None of the defense arguments weighed the “severe” flight risk assessed by the judge due to the high prison sentences they faced for the “solid and crystallized crimes” against them that had already been revealed in their order to move to an abbreviated procedure.
While the judge was writing the two decisions, Abalos waited nervously and “depressed,” according to the sources consulted, in the courtyard of the Supreme Court. Lighting one cigarette after another.
With yesterday’s decision, the Valencian politician has already become the Second Secretary of the Organization of the Socialist Workers’ Party with Pedro Sánchez as General Secretary, at the head of the party, to enter into preventive custody. Cerdan did so in June (he was released last week) for alleged fundraising Bites of Public Works Awards To Acciona in which Ábalos also participates. The president’s men, surrounded by corruption.