Judge Ismael Moreno, instructor of the Koldo case In the National Court, he has formally requested the indictment of José Luis Ábalos given the “founded and serious indications” of his “main role” in a criminal organization that supposedly profited from the sale of masks during the pandemic. The magistrate has sent to the Supreme Court a letter – technically called “reasoned statement” – with all the evidence collected so far against the former socialist leader, former Minister of Transport of Pedro Sánchez (PSOE), who is found guilty before the high court by maintaining his deputy record. The judge attributes to Ábalos a “clear and concrete accusation” through a series of indications that show his alleged participation in crimes of membership in a criminal organization, influence peddling and bribery.
With this step, Moreno thus follows the path marked by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Civil Guard, who asked to focus the investigations on Ábalos, whom give a “relevant role” in the plot.
The ball now remains in the court of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court, which must decide whether to accept the investigation against the former Secretary of Organization of the PSOE. In the event that it agrees to open a process, the high court will then have to appoint a new investigating judge and ask Congress for permission – through the procedure called supplication – to prosecute Ábalos and charge him.
Almost eight months after the outbreak Koldo case and the first arrests occurred, Judge Moreno has taken this step with the support of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Civil Guard. The magistrate has taken the initiative after the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the armed institute sent a forceful report to the National Court at the beginning of the month to clearly point out Ábalos for the first time. Over more than 200 pagesthe investigators detailed the numerous evidence collected against the former minister and insisted that the investigations should now focus on the former Secretary of Organization. “(Ábalos) acquires a relevant and responsible role in his direct relationship with Koldo (García), (Víctor de) Aldama and the criminal organization promoted by himself,” the police analysis highlighted.
The public ministry pointed in the same direction: “It is difficult to understand the operation carried out by Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama without the participation of José Luis Ábalos,” stated Anticorrupción in a letter sent to the judge on October 15, where he highlighted the existence of “a series of indications that show the participation” of Ábalos in the corrupt network. In this document, the Prosecutor’s Office attributes three crimes to the former socialist: criminal organization, influence peddling and bribery.
The summary has revealed that the businessman Víctor de Aldama, former president of Zamora CFentered Transport during the Ábalos era, and forged a close relationship with the then minister and his advisor Koldo García. According to investigators, thanks to these links, the “corruptor” was able to obtain public contracts for the purchase and sale of medical supplies during the worst of the pandemic, as well as expand his network of contacts to open up new “business avenues.” The UCO maintains that Ábalos and Koldo García did favors for Aldama in exchange for “consideration.” Among others, for example, the agents maintain that the plot provided “the use and enjoyment” of a chalet in Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz) to Ábalos, as well as a home in the Plaza de España in Madrid that his partner, Jessica RG, used.
(Breaking news. There will be an extension)
