The magistrate of the Supreme Court, Leopoldo Puente, opened this oral trial against José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García and Commissioner Víctor de Aldama for the alleged corruption plot surrounding the purchase of masks during the covid-19 pandemic. The magistrate accuses them of integration into a criminal organization; continuous, active and passive sharing; use of inside information, exploitation of inside information; influence peddling, embezzlement of public funds; lying in an official document and embezzlement. The instructor further accepted that the former minister and his former advisor remain in preventive prison and impose a bail of 70,000 euros on them both to guarantee the economic responsibility that may be attributed to them after the hearing.
Judge Puente did not take 24 hours to open an oral judgment against Ábalos, García and Aldama after, this month, the Appeals Chamber upheld the trial of the three for allegedly profiting irregularly from the purchase of masks during the pandemic. A few hours after this resolution, the Congress adopted article 21 of its regulations, which establishes that parliamentarians will be suspended in their rights and duties when they “have granted by the Chamber the authorization subject to a request and firm in the Auto de procesamiento, if they find themselves in a preventive prison situation and while this lasts”. Since that moment, the former minister, current deputy of the Mixed Group, has not managed to realize his honor as a deputy (nearly 6,000 euros per month) and has not been able to vote or participate in parliamentary activities.
The auto dictado ce jueves de Puente confirms that the judgment for the conspiracy of the masks will be celebrated in the Supreme Court because the jurisprudence of the superior court in the trials against the aforados establishes that once the judgment is opened, it will be celebrated in the court where the investigation takes place even if it diminishes and loses force. The High Court’s intention, according to judicial sources, is expected in the coming months, as would be expected, for February or March.
(Latest news. Update coming soon)
About The Author
