Ábalos' son to the Supreme Court: "My father's economic situation is lamentable"

MadridFirst session of the first trial in the Koldo case. Throughout April, the Supreme Court will try José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and Víctor de Aldama for the purchase of masks during the pandemic, for influence peddling, and for political favors. One of the highlights of the first day was Víctor Ábalos, the son of the former Minister of Transport and former number three in the PSOE. "What is your father's financial situation since the start of the proceedings?", Marino Turiel, Ábalos' lawyer, asked him. "Lamentable, like the whole family's," he replied. He stated that he had financially supported his father after the divorce and justified that he had accepted the latest television appearances due to the income they generated. Likewise, he assured that the money he gave to the former minister came from his work in Colombia and distanced himself from his father's financial management: "If I gave him money, it would be mine. There is no payment of any kind. [...] I am not a custodian of anything for anyone," he stressed. He also denied dealings with Koldo García: "I don't speak in code and I haven't had an encrypted phone."

The following two witnesses have refused to answer questions from the Prosecutor's Office and the PP, which is involved as a popular prosecution. They were Ignacio Díaz Tapia, who was Aldama's partner, and Joseba García, Koldo's brother. Both are being investigated for the Koldo case in the National Court. The first appeared accompanied by his lawyer and did not answer any questions, and the second, who even refused to answer who his mother was, referred to the recommendation of his lawyer, the same one who defends his brother: "If he advises me, it must be for a reason, [but] I am eager to answer." He did answer extensively to his lawyer's questions.

Koldo's brother

He first distanced himself from the hiring of Jessica Rodríguez at INECO. "I was never anyone's boss, I was a colleague," he said. And he recalled a message in which she told him that she was "up to her eyeballs" with work. Later, he explained that the eight meetings he had with Aldama, which the Civil Guard claims were to share money, were actually the result of his claims after buying a car from him: "It's the worst purchase I've ever made. I asked him to return my money and he kept putting me off. I had to get rid of the vehicle like scrap metal," he lamented.

He also spoke about the two trips he made to the Dominican Republic, which the Prosecutor's Office believes were to receive envelopes of money that Aldama would later deliver to Koldo and Ábalos. The former advisor's brother explained that he traveled to the other side of the Atlantic for business and because he was dating a Dominican girl. He picked up an envelope at the other end of the country and later delivered it – in Spain – to Aldama's driver. But he never knew what it contained. Finally, he admitted that he went twice to the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz street to collect envelopes with money that were for Koldo and his wife, Patricia Úriz.

During the hearing, Leticia de la Hoz, Koldo García's lawyer, desperately asked for the trial to be suspended because the former advisor to Ábalos filed a writ of amparo with the Constitutional Court, denouncing that his rights had been violated, but the court had closed the door on him. First thing in the morning, in an audio message sent to Telecinco, Koldo García called Víctor de Aldama "stupid" and "a liar," said that he "invents evidence," and warned that he could "blow up the trial" with "other evidence" that he will present.

Armengol and Torres deny pressure

Before starting the in-person testimonies, the two written reports submitted by Francina Armengol, who was president of the Balearic Islands and is now president of Congress, and Ángel Víctor Torres, who was president of the Canary Islands and is now Minister of Territorial Policy, were read. Both of them were exempt from testifying in person. Armengol stated that she "was unaware" of the processing of administrative files and categorically denied that she intervened in the purchase of masks: "I never received an order or pressure to enter into any contract, nor did I know that anyone received orders to hire specific suppliers".

For his part, Ángel Víctor Torres admitted that, amidst "global uncertainty," the fact that Soluciones de Gestión had sold masks to the Ministry of Transport was a "positive reference." He acknowledged that he "followed up" on the file, but assured that he did not give "any order" to benefit the company.

From the Spanish government, the spokesperson, Elma Saiz, said that they face the week with "tranquility" and wished for justice to reach the end. Despite the case fully affecting the executive due to the role Ábalos had in the Council of Ministers, Saiz defended the PSOE's reaction: "Zero tolerance for corruption. We acted immediately. Other political parties destroy evidence with a hammer blow," she said, sending a jab at the PP for the Gürtel case, reports Núria Orriols.