A Spanish Supreme Court judge ordered the opening of an oral trial against former Socialist Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos (2018-2021) and former number three of President Pedro Sánchez’s party, also noting that he remains in custody for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy over irregular mask contracts.
Judge Leopoldo Puente agreed to open oral proceedings against Ábalos, his former adviser Koldo García – who remains in custody – and businessman Víctor de Aldama over alleged irregular commissions in mask contracts.
According to the order announced this Thursday (December 11, 2025), Puente sends them to court for the crimes of integration into a criminal organization; continued bribery, active and passive; insider trading, exploitation of insider information; influence, misappropriation of public funds; Falsehood in the official document and subterfuge.
In addition, they will be required to pay a deposit of 60,000 euros to cover any financial obligations that may be imposed on them.
Ábalos, the first active deputy in prison in Spain
Ábalos, former organizing secretary of the Socialist Party (PSOE), became the first active MP to be imprisoned in Spain at the end of November.
Puente, the judge investigating the case, then justified his detention with evidence that Ábalos was able to “receive and manage significant amounts of cash,” which is why he considers it reasonable that the former minister “could have sufficient financial resources to carry out and maintain the escape.”
He also highlighted Ábalos’ “more than obvious ‘international contacts'”, both because of the properties he owns in Latin American countries, as well as because he was a founding partner of the Fiadelso Foundation and because he regularly received income from one of his children, which he apparently earned abroad.
A conspiracy involving other former high-ranking socialist officials
Ábalos and Koldo García are suspected of several crimes related to the collection of illegal commissions in the allegedly irregular awarding of mask contracts amid the Covid pandemic.
A conspiracy that is part of the so-called “Koldo case”, an alleged corruption network in which construction companies paid illegal commissions for the irregular procurement of public works.
Also involved in the operation was Santos Cerdán, another former organizing secretary of the PSOE, until a few months ago Pedro Sánchez’s right-hand man in this political force and who was also in pre-trial detention for almost five months, until November 19 last year.
On the other hand, the former PSOE fighter Leire Díez and the former president of the public conglomerate Sociedad Estado de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) Vicente Fernández were arrested this Wednesday, sources close to the investigation told the EFE agency.
Both were arrested in connection with a case being prosecuted by the Spanish National Court in coordination with the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office.
A third detainee this Thursday in connection with the same case is Antxon Alonso, considered by investigators to be Santos Cerdán’s partner in the Servinabar company.
CP (efe, afp)
About The Author
