Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for taking bribes on public contracts for sanitary equipment, including face masks, during the Covid-19 pandemic. His aide, Koldo García, received a 19-year sentence in a trial that has become one of several scandals enveloping Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government.
Trusted ally convicted
Ábalos, once Sánchez's trusted right-hand man, and García heard the verdict via video-conference from the Madrid prison where they have been held in preventive custody since November. A panel of seven judges found them guilty of belonging to a criminal organization, bribery, misuse of public funds, money laundering, and influence peddling.
The court stated that “the seriousness of the charges derives from the fact that they erode the fundamentals of a democratic state and distort the purpose of public power into an instrument at the service of individual interests.”
Separate cases target Sánchez family
The sentencing came two days after a separate court ruled that Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, is a flight risk and must surrender her passport. Gómez faces corruption and influence-peddling charges for allegedly using her position to secure sponsors for a university master's degree course and misusing state funds for personal matters. The case was initiated by the right-wing pressure group Manos Limpias.
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who ordered the passport seizure, suggested that Gómez's security detail might help her escape, despite her residence in the Moncloa palace. This led Spain's judicial watchdog, the General Council for Judicial Power, to take disciplinary action against Peinado for impugning the integrity of public servants. Spain's national police also issued a rare statement criticizing the judge's reasoning and affirming their political neutrality.
The government has denounced Peinado's focus on Gómez, noting that she would derive no personal benefit from the alleged influence peddling even if convicted.
Brother also under scrutiny
Sánchez's brother, David, is on trial over allegations that he received a bespoke job from the Socialist-led council of Badajoz in July 2017, when Sánchez was party leader but not yet prime minister. The case, also brought by Manos Limpias, has fueled claims of a right-wing campaign to damage the government. Sánchez has denied any wrongdoing by his family, calling the cases a harassment operation.
So-called “lawfare” has become common in Spain, where courts must consider cases from private groups, however frivolous. Barcelona's former mayor Ada Colau faced 22 legal challenges during her tenure, all eventually dismissed.
Ábalos is the fifth government minister jailed since Spain's transition to democracy in 1978. Businessman Víctor de Aldama, linked to the scandal, received a four-and-a-half-year sentence on Monday but avoided jail due to cooperation, and will not repay €3.7 million in commissions from mask procurement.
