Spain’s Supreme Court sentences former minister to 24 years in prison

According to information from the EFE agency, the seven judges also imposed a 19-year prison sentence on former advisor Koldo García, while the third defendant, commission agent Víctor de Aldama – who confessed to paying bribes – was sentenced to four and a half years.

Ábalos, who was Sánchez’s trusted man and number three of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), was tried alongside his former advisor Koldo García and commission agent Aldama in a case for alleged illegal commissions in mask purchase contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Just over a month and a half after the end of the trial, the high court unanimously handed down a sentence in which it finds Ábalos and García – both already in pre-trial detention – responsible for crimes of criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling, and highlights the serious deterioration of citizens’ trust in the political system caused by corruption.

The most benefited was Aldama, who confessed to paying bribes and will not go to prison after the Supreme Court suspended the imposed sentence of four and a half years on the condition that he does not commit another crime, presents a biannual activity report and completes a year of work provided to the community.

After spending just over a month in pre-trial detention as an investigator in a fuel fraud, Aldama chose to collaborate with the courts and maintained that the former minister and his advisor charged bribes paid by him, which he expected, in return, to be favored in mask contracts.

Ábalos’ conviction increases the pressure on Sánchez, who sees several people in his personal and political circles being accused of corruption.

In May, the Spanish Civil Guard carried out searches at the PSOE headquarters in Madrid, relating to an investigation led by judge Santiago Pedraz, of the National Audience, into possible irregularities committed by former party activist Leire Díez and other people.

Furthermore, the prime minister’s wife, Begoña Gómez, will be tried on charges of influence peddling, according to the Spanish justice system on Saturday (20), and former socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004–2011) became the target of criminal investigations this year.