José Luis Ábalos finally declares this morning in the trial for the mask case before the Supreme Court. The former Minister of Transport, who the judge has kept in preventive detention for almost half a year, appears as an investigated person after two morning sessions in which the court had to modify the initial schedule that set the interrogation of the former socialist leader for last Wednesday.

"A high-profile case judged a long time ago with a clear conviction." This is how José Luis Ábalos has summarized the face mask case, for which he faces a sentence of between 24 and 30 years in prison. The former Minister of Transport, who has been in Soto del Real for five months, has been the last of the accused to testify, after Víctor de Aldama and Koldo García did so last week. The former strongman of Pedro Sánchez in Moncloa and Ferraz testified for almost six hours and, exhibiting meticulous knowledge of the Civil Guard's reports, denied having received money from Aldama: "To say that it was handed to me in person seems gross. I understand why it's being done. I tell you no, and there is absolutely no evidence." He also criticized the Civil Guard's "permanent bias" and denounced a "certain intentionality" throughout the investigation: "I am struck by the eagerness to implicate me and to find something.

Day of revelations and denials at the Supreme Court. After Victor de Aldama's explosive statement, which shot left and right to try to splash Pedro Sánchez and question the PSOE's financing, it is now the turn of Koldo García, who was an advisor to José Luis Ábalos in the Ministry of Transport and for whom the Prosecutor's Office is seeking nineteen and a half years in prison. "Ask me absolutely everything to try to prove my innocence," the prosecutor urged right at the start. And, after five and a half hours, he has resolved one of the great questions of the trial: what are "chistorras"? A Guardia Civil report suspected that it was the code name to refer to 500 euro banknotes. And Koldo García, when questioned by his lawyer, confirmed it, despite the fact that last October, in a couple of television interviews, he stated that the chistorras were "sausages".

Key day in the mask case trial at the Supreme Court. After ten sessions, it is the turn of the declarations of the three defendants: José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama. The only one who could be interrogated this Wednesday was the businessman and alleged facilitator of the plot, who agreed to collaborate with justice a year and a half ago when he was in preventive detention –"what a invention", replied Pedro Sánchez– and for whom the Prosecutor's Office requests a much lower penalty than for the rest of the defendants. Just as he did at that initial moment of the investigation, he has decided to elaborate, stretch the blanket and point directly to Pedro Sánchez. Without providing evidence and relying solely on his word, he has given meticulous details to try to accredit his privileged access to the spheres of power, has detailed the roadmap of the alleged corruption and has expressed "remorse". "If there is a hierarchy of a criminal organization, Sánchez is in the first echelon", he said. "I was told that the president knew everything", he added in a statement that lasted more than six and a half hours.

One of the questions that the eighth day of the Ábalos case trial has tried to resolve is where the cash bills that José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García had came from. During the investigation, the Civil Guard detected more than 95,000 euros from the former Minister of Transport and former number three of the PSOE without bank tracing. This reinforced the thesis of "the existence of undeclared cash income" and triggered the opening of a separate piece in the National Court on the financing of the PSOE. The investigating judge raised the hypothesis that the PSOE helped Ábalos or Koldo to "launder" money. This Wednesday, in the Supreme Court, two lines of action have become apparent during the testimony of Mariano Moreno, who was the party's manager between 2017 and 2021. First, he assured that Ferraz "never" handed over 100, 200, and 500 euro bills, which are the ones the Civil Guard suspects Koldo and his circle managed – using code names. Later, the lawyer for Ábalos's former advisor, wanting to show that all the money he received was "of legal origin," wanted to highlight possible errors in the documentation that the socialists sent to the courts.

One of the missions of the Supreme Court in the first three days of the trial against José Luis Ábalos has been to reconstruct the alleged cronyism of two women close to the then Minister of Transport and former organization secretary of the PSOE. They are Jessica Rodríguez, who was his partner for a year and a half; and Claudia Montes, with whom he maintained a "virtual" relationship. The first has admitted that she was receiving payment without going to work – a total of 44,000 euros at Ineco and Tragsatec–. The second woman claims that she did fulfill her duties at Logirail, although others dispute this. Amidst contradictions and labor disputes, several witnesses have tried to shed light on this this week at the high court. "I had a contract, but I wasn't actively working," Jessica Rodríguez acknowledged on Tuesday. Marino Turiel, José Luis Ábalos' lawyer, suspects there is a hidden agreement between her and Víctor de Aldama: "It is very clear that there is a pact and an agreement".

The key witness in the third session of the trial against José Luis Ábalos was Carmen Pano. And her statement followed the script: as she said at the Audiencia Nacional, during the investigation at the Supreme Court and at the Senate's investigation committee, she reiterated and to the Senate's investigation committee, But there was a second delivery that raises more doubts. Carmen Pano first said that the "operation" was that Claudio Rivas made transfers to her accounts and she withdrew the money in cash. And it wasn't until half an hour later that she admitted that in the second case she didn't directly withdraw the money from the bank, but rather a certain Lolo, a "worker or friend" of Claudio Rivas, brought it to her home. She didn't get to count it, but – in theory – there were also 45,000 euros. She took it back to Aldama's office, but later he called her "quite angry" and told her that 10,000 euros were missing. "Therefore, I deduce that there were 35,000 euros," the businesswoman acknowledged. This is a point that only came to light at the end of her statement, after spending a long time equating the two deliveries and without having mentioned this unforeseen event.

“An agreement that had as its object the future commission of crimes as opportunities to commit them arose”. After a year and a half of investigation, 30 years in prison. On the table will be nine crimes, including membership in a criminal organization, bribery, influence peddling, and embezzlement.

The 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.

Three months ago, the Supreme Court judge Leopoldo Puente sentenced José Luis Ábalos to prison for an "extreme" flight risk. "I have nowhere to go anywhere in the world," the socialist former minister argued during the hearing held in late November to assess the application of this precautionary measure. Puente and subsequently the appeals chamber of the high court dismissed Ábalos's arguments, the details of which became known this Tuesday. In a video accessed by ARA, the former Minister of Transport, indicted for corruption, states that he has had "very many opportunities" to flee Spain, but that he has not wanted to do so.

77 days after the Supreme Court will send them to jailJosé Luis Ábalos and Koldo García have temporarily left Soto del Real prison for the preliminary hearing in their trial for the purchase of face masks, which is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. This unprecedented hearing was established under the law on efficiency in the justice system, which came into effect ten months ago. The former number three of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and his former advisor at the Ministry of Transport arrived at the Supreme Court in a Spanish police van at 10:30 a.m., half an hour before the scheduled hearing. The third defendant, Víctor de Aldama, also attended, although he is free and had not made any statements. For the first time, all three appeared together in the dock and faced the seven judges who will preside over their case.

José Luis Ábalos had resisted throughout the investigation and even after the Supreme Court had already decided to send him to trial for one branch of the alleged corruption scheme—the mask contracts during the pandemic. Finally, the former Minister of Transport has resigned his seat in Congress. He announced this on Wednesday through an account that publishes messages on his behalf. Ábalos justified his decision by stating that just over a week ago, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against the decision to send him to pretrial detention. Faced with the high court's decision to keep him incarcerated, and with no options for release in the short term, Ábalos concluded that he "cannot hold the seat." The former deputy also argued that "all his activity" is now focused on "exercising his right to defense and proving his innocence."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez asked his former right-hand man in the party, José Luis Ábalos, for help in ensuring that the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, was elected leader of the Valencian Socialists. This is revealed in WhatsApp messages exchanged between the head of the national government and the former PSOE organizational secretary during January 2024, when Morant, the mayor of Mislata, Carlos Fernández Bielsa, and the deputy Alejandro Soler were vying for the leadership of the PSPV (Valencian Socialist Party). A conversation that has revealed the digital newspaper Vozpópuli and which occurred weeks before the Valencian politician was suspended from party membership and placed in the mixed group in Congress due to the disruption of the Koldo case

Pedro Sánchez's government is increasingly dependent on the courts. Anxiety is spreading among the Socialist ranks, especially after a week that has brought two new developments: five arrests These events have brought to light two new cases—which remain secret—and a Civil Guard report that once again implicates José Luis Ábalos. These are ongoing investigations into issues that strike at the heart of the Spanish president's political roadmap and the origins of his rise to power. Of the five arrested, the National Court has released former Socialist Party member Leire Díez, Vicente Fernández Guerrero, former president of SEPI (State Holding Company for Industrial Participations), and Basque businessman Antxon Alonso, owner of the company Servinabar and a friend of Santos Cerdán, former PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) organizational secretary. All five were released with precautionary measures (passport confiscation and periodic court appearances) after the prosecution did not request their imprisonment.

The 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 180 meters separating the Supreme Court from the National Court have never seemed so short. Last Thursday, while José Luis Ábalos faced the possibility of being sent to prison by Leopoldo Puente in the case concerning the purchase of face masks – as It ended up happening—Víctor de Aldama testified before Ismael Moreno regarding contracts awarded by the Canary Islands government during the pandemic; an alleged corruption scheme that has led to multiple parallel investigations with interconnected links. So much so, that even the lawyers involved are still unclear about the number of ongoing cases and their scope. We're taking it one step at a time.

Pedro Sánchez has seen two former PSOE organizational secretaries imprisoned in less than six months: Santos Cerdán, who has already been released, and José Luis Ábalos, also a former Minister of Transport, who was imprisoned this Thursday for alleged irregularities in the purchase of face masks during the pandemic. He has also seen the blog that investigated him for the Spanish presidency in 2023 weaken by the minute, to the point that it no longer exists, or at least, according to Junts, which has decided to break with the Socialists. "The seams of the State are being stretched and even torn apart," reflected Aitor Esteban this Friday afternoon, who, since becoming president of the PNV, observes everything that happens in Madrid from afar. However, Sánchez is seeking to regroup to fulfill the commitment he has repeated week after week: to serve out his full term. That the situation is, at the very least, delicate is undeniable. "The image is painful [...], it's very unpleasant," admitted the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz (PSOE), This Friday, in reference to the imprisonment of ÁbalosFrom Moncloa Palace, it is acknowledged that it has not been an easy week, although they do not consider it to be on the same level as the week Cerdán entered prison. "That was a much more complicated time," government sources assert. Regarding the balance of power in Congress, things are further complicated because with the absence of the former minister, when he is suspended as a deputy –The board will not be able to make the decisionUntil the high court resolves the former minister's final appeal, Junts' abstention will not be enough for the Spanish government to secure a majority.

Something has happened again that has never happened before, which is that a sitting member of parliament goes to prison.

Pedro Sánchez has proven to be an indefatigable politician who can handle almost anything. He has faced so many challenges throughout his political career, both within the party and in government, that it would be very risky to write him off. Now, another obstacle has been added to his list of challenges. the imprisonment of the former Minister of Transport And his former right-hand man, José Luis Ábalos, is being held in pretrial detention "due to a high risk of flight," along with his advisor at the ministry, Koldo García. The PSOE is feigning calm and recalling that a year and a half ago, when it became known the corruption accusation For receiving illegal commissions in the purchase of masks by companies linked to the ministry, Ábalos was already removed from the party and, as a deputy, he joined the mixed group as an independent. However, the symbolic image of him entering prison is a heavy blow to the credibility of the Sánchez government. In fact, although this pretrial detention doesn't add much to what has already been said and known about the case—which is quite serious, given that it all happened during the pandemic and represents a despicable exploitation of the need for masks at the time—the endemic corruption surrounding the Prime Minister's inner circle, which the political and judicial right is trying to bring down by any means possible, is a significant blow to his credibility. What saves the Socialists in this case is that, in the field of corruption, the Popular Party still has the advantage in the number of cases, and even in the involvement of high-ranking officials.

It has been over a year and a half since José Luis Ábalos left the PSOE and joined the mixed group as an independent. However, throughout that time, the former Minister of Transport has been a guaranteed vote for Pedro Sánchez in Congress—when he attended plenary sessions, which wasn't always the case—unlike the votes of other allies in the investiture majority. With Ábalos's imprisonment, the parliamentary precariousness of the Spanish Prime Minister, which suffered another blow this Thursday, has worsened. the derailment of deficit and debt targetsThe situation is further emphasized. Despite being imprisoned, the former Minister of Transport will be able to retain his seat in Parliament. However, he will be suspended from his parliamentary duties. This is what Congress anticipates, and according to parliamentary sources, it has already contacted the Supreme Court to obtain certification of the decision in order to initiate the process for the Bureau's agreement on his suspension, as per Article 21.2 of the Rules of Procedure. With this move, the lower house takes an unprecedented step: it is the first time a sitting member of Parliament has been sent to prison.