The UCO indicates that Aldama may have influenced the Canary Islands government of Minister Ángel Víctor Torres through Koldo

MadridA new report from the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard points to the "influence" that commission agent Víctor de Aldama may have had on the Canary Islands government of Ángel Víctor Torres (PSOE), the current Minister of Territorial Policy, in the purchase of contracts for masks and antigen tests during the pandemic. Specifically, the UCO report, presented this Monday to the National Court and accessed by ARA, indicates that Aldama's influence was exerted through the former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, and his former advisor, Koldo García. Thus, the Canary Islands government of Ángel Víctor Torres would be implicated, according to the UCO report, in the alleged corruption scheme surrounding Aldama, Ábalos, and Koldo, which originated in alleged illegal payments for the purchase of masks during the pandemic. For this reason, the People's Party (PP) has called for the minister's immediate dismissal.

The UCO report has been submitted to the National Court judge investigating the case, Ismael Moreno, in an incomplete form. The document shows 87 pages out of 349. The remaining 262 are blank. This report includes messages between Koldo García and Ángel Víctor Torres, as well as with other members of the Canary Islands government, regarding the awarding of contracts in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Koldo allegedly demanded "outstanding payments" from Torres for the company Soluciones de Gestión, which was allegedly awarded mask contracts irregularly. "I'm on top of your payment," Torres wrote to Koldo García.

"Once again, the influence Koldo [García] wielded within the administration is evident, facilitated by Aldama [the alleged fixer in the scheme] and his monthly payments. He managed to get the President of the Canary Islands to directly handle the outstanding payments," they emphasize. The UCO details that the purchase of masks from the company Soluciones de Gestión by the General Directorate of Economic Resources of the Canary Islands Health Service amounted to 12.3 million euros.

The PP calls for Torres's dismissal

In an appearance before the Senate committee investigating the Koldo case, the current minister denied having "any dealings" with Aldama. The middleman has accused him of receiving €50,000 after securing mask contracts. Subsequently, sources from his team asserted that the partial report from the UCO (Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard) proves that there were "no sexually exploited women, no apartments, nor..." bites"No commissions or meetings with drug traffickers." Furthermore, they emphasize that the Supreme Court's closure of the investigation to open a trial against Koldo, Aldama, and Ábalos occurred "without any mention whatsoever of the Canary Islands or Minister Torres." Therefore, the minister demands "public apologies" from everyone. For the PP, however, the information revealed today by the UCO (Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard) demonstrates that Torres, during his time as head of the Canary Islands government, "not only commissioned materials from the corruption network that grew within the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) government, but also took an interest in expediting payments." They demand the minister's dismissal this afternoon: "Either he resigns now or he must be dismissed."