This Tuesday, April 7 begins the trial for the ‘Koldo case’ where the former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos, his former advisor Koldo García and the businessman Víctor de Aldama are going to sit on the defendants' bench of the Supreme Court. In it, the alleged irregularity in which they are involved regarding the mask contracts that were awarded by the Ministry of Transport during the covid-19 pandemic.
The alleged crimes investigated by the Supreme Court are crimes of bribery, influence peddling, criminal organization, perversion of justice, falsehood, influence peddling, and embezzlement. The former minister and Koldo are currently in pre-trial detention and defend their innocence. In this context, on Monday morning, the ‘TVE’ program presented by Javier Ruiz, Mañaneros 360, have revealed that they conducted an exclusive interview with Ábalos's former advisor, where he asserted that the truth "will come out" and stated: “I am going to prove things one by one”.
The plot of the 'Koldo case' or 'mask case' was uncovered in February 2024 by the UCO and revealed that entities dependent on the Ministry of Transport -State Ports and Adif- awarded contracts for 54 million euros for 13 million masks defective during the worst phase of the pandemic, with illegal commissions of 3.7 million euros for Aldama, channeled to Ábalos and Koldo via undeclared payments, gifts, and political favors.
The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office points out that the three “agreed to the future commission of crimes, as the opportunities to commit them arose”. Likewise, it states that they were helped “by other authorities and officials” as well as by Koldo's relatives and other businessmen from Aldama's circle. Finally, it states that the alleged criminal organization of which they are accused, was created “with an undeniable vocation for permanence over time”.
The Supreme Court has set for the next April 28 the statement of Ábalos, Koldo and Aldama.
