The Supreme Court demands 60,000 euros from Ábalos and Koldo and sends them to trial for criminal organization

Barcelona / MadridThe Supreme Court is demanding a €60,000 bail from former minister José Luis Ábalos and his former advisor Koldo García. both in pretrial detention for the past two weeks, and sends them to trial along with businessman Víctor de Aldama for organized crime. This was ordered in a ruling this Thursday by Judge Leopoldo Puente, who is investigating the case of alleged irregular commissions in the purchase of face masks during the pandemic. The judge, according to the ruling, has agreed to open oral proceedings against the three defendants for the crimes of membership in a criminal organization, continuous bribery, use and exploitation of privileged information, influence peddling, embezzlement, falsification of documents, and abuse of power. This comes after the appeals court rejected Ábalos and Koldo's appeals this Wednesday and upheld their indictment. In parallel with the opening of the oral proceedings, the investigating judge ordered that Ábalos and Koldo remain in prison and demanded that they pay 60,000 euros to "guarantee any financial liabilities that may ultimately be imposed on them." If this amount is not provided within five business days, the Judge orders the seizure of assets equivalent to the bail. In Aldama, the alleged facilitator of the scheme, Puente maintains the obligation to appear in court every fifteen days, the confiscation of his passport, and the prohibition against leaving Spain.

The trial, scheduled for the end of February

Judicial sources explain to ARA that the trial is expected to begin at the end of February. According to the same sources, the court will be presided over by the conservative magistrate Andrés Martínez Arrieta, who heads the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court and will also be the rapporteur for the ruling. The ruling will have to address the numerous "consistent indications" that, in the opinion of the investigating judgeThey point out that Aldama allegedly made "successive" deliveries of money to Ábalos and Koldo "with the purpose of carrying out acts contrary to the duties inherent to their respective public offices."

The Prosecutor's Office He is asking for 24 years in prison and a fine of almost 4 million euros. For the former Minister of Transport and former Secretary of Organization of the PSOE, 19 and a half years for his advisor and seven for Aldama, while the private prosecutions -led by the PP- They are requesting 30 years in prison for Ábalos and Koldo, and six years and seven months for the businessman. The trial will be the first of the known as the Koldo caseThe case surrounding the scandal includes the Supreme Court's investigation into alleged irregularities in public works contracts, which also involves the former deputy leader of the Socialist Party, Santos Cerdán, and three other cases in the National Court, one of which investigates cash payments from the PSOE.

Ábalos's status as a deputy

Wednesday's ruling comes a day after Congress decided, following the confirmation of Ábalos's indictment. suspend the former minister as a deputy"The suspension entails the loss of his prerogatives and functional and economic rights as an elected member of parliament," the Lower House stated. This means that the former PSOE leader will not be able to vote, will not receive his parliamentary salary, nor the subsidy corresponding to the mixed group, which he joined when he refused to resign his seat, as his former party demanded. With the opening of the trial, it would be pointless for him to try to resign now in order to lose his parliamentary immunity and avoid being tried by the Supreme Court.