The trial against Ábalos for the masks will coincide with the trial of Rajoy's former Interior Minister

MadridThe Supreme Court has taken a decisive step and will try José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and Víctor de Aldama within a month for the purchase of medical supplies during the pandemic. The high court unanimously rejected all preliminary motions filed by the former Minister of Transport and his former advisor, who will appear in court starting Tuesday, April 7, the day after the Kitchen case trial begins against Jorge Fernández Díaz and his top officials at the Ministry of the Interior during Mariano Rajoy's administration. Three weeks after the Preliminary view of the masks caseThe Supreme Court has closed the door on one of Ábalos and Koldo's main demands: that the case return to the National Court as a result of the Ábalos resigns from his position as a deputyThe 138-page interlocutory ruling reiterates that once a judge opens oral proceedings against a member of parliament—as happened in December, when Ábalos was still a member—the Supreme Court's jurisdiction is "immune to the loss of protected status" and argues that this is a moment that "cannot be left to chance or depend on the whim or will of the accused." It also maintains that the Supreme Court's 2014 ruling—which the defense teams of Ábalos and Koldo challenged—served to "establish a clear criterion in the face of the confusing legal framework." Koldo and Aldama, who have never held protected status, will also be tried by the Supreme Court due to their "inexplicable material connection" with the events under investigation. Furthermore, the seven Supreme Court justices challenge the defense's pride and warn them that granting their request would have "onerous consequences" for the two defendants, who "would see their case delayed." sine die"The trial. The prosecution." He is asking for 24 years in prison. Ábalos received a 19.5-year sentence, Koldo García a 19.5-year sentence, and Aldama a 7-year sentence. They are accused of five crimes: membership in a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, influence peddling, and insider trading.

The Supreme Court has also ruled out submitting a preliminary question to the Court of Justice of the European Union, rejecting a jury trial, and dismissing claims of violations of the right to a defense, the right to a fair trial, the right to relevant evidence, and parliamentary immunity. Furthermore, it rejected a polygraph examination between Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama, as requested by Ábalos's former advisor's lawyer, Leticia de la Hoz. "The polygraph is a test that has no recognized validity in the Spanish legal system; it cannot replace the function of the courts to assess evidence under the principles of publicity, immediacy, and orality, and it could effectively force the accused to waive their right not to tell the truth," the Supreme Court now responds.

Francina Armengol and Ángel Víctor Torres as witnesses

In the witness testimony phase, the court approved all those requested by prosecutor Alejandro Luzón, including two important figures from Pedro Sánchez's inner circle: Francina Armengol – current Speaker of the Congress of Deputies and former President of the Balearic Islands – and Ángel Víctor Torres – Minister of Territorial Policy since 2023 and former President of the Canary Islands. However, it will not summon either the Spanish president or María Jesús Montero – First Vice President of the Spanish government and Minister of Finance – two names that proposed the private prosecution led by the PP, neither to Fernando Grande-Marlaska –Minister of the Interior, a demand of Ábalos and Koldo–, nor to Salvador Illa –current President of the Generalitat and Minister of Health during the pandemic, a request of Koldo–.