The judge indicts Jéssica Rodríguez, Ábalos' ex-partner, for collecting from public companies without working

The judge of the Audiencia Nacional Ismael Moreno has charged Jéssica Rodríguez, former partner of former minister José Luis Ábalos, in the 'Koldo case' piece that remains open in this court. The magistrate summons her as an investigated party on July 20 for alleged crimes of influence peddling and embezzlement linked to her contracts in the public companies Ineco and Tragsatec.

The decision comes after the Supreme Court ruling that convicted Ábalos and his former advisor Koldo García for the 'masks case'. In that ruling, the high court found it proven that Rodríguez was hired by two public companies without performing effective work activity and that she received more than 43,000 euros in salaries between 2019 and 2021.

Moreno also summons Joseba García, Koldo's brother, and Ignacio Zaldívar, then deputy director of Administrative Management at Adif, as investigated parties. The three must appear before the Audiencia Nacional on the same day, in a proceeding agreed upon after the request of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

From the Supreme Court to the Audiencia Nacional

The key lies in what the Supreme Court wrote in the sentence against Ábalos and Koldo. The court considered that the hiring of Jéssica Rodríguez constituted embezzlement in conjunction with influence peddling, although she was not tried in that case because the main procedure against the former minister was followed in the high court due to his status as a privileged person.

Anti-Corruption now argues that these facts have an “intimate connection” with the investigation that continues in the Audiencia Nacional and that the possible responsibilities of the people who participated in the contracting circuit and who were not prosecuted by the Supreme Court must be clarified.

The sentence was particularly harsh on the mechanism used. According to the ruling, the objective of the plan was for Rodríguez to be paid as an employee of public companies without having to perform real tasks. The Supreme Court even stated that “the foundational purpose of the criminal plan was precisely that she would not work” and, despite this, would receive a monthly salary.

Ineco, Tragsatec and the labor cover-up

Rodríguez was first hired by Ineco, between March 2019 and February 2021. She then moved to Tragsatec, between March and September 2021. During that time, according to the judicial account, there is no record that she performed effective work in either of the two companies.

The role attributed to Joseba García focuses on the Ineco stage. The Prosecutor's Office points out that he acted as formal cover for Rodríguez's non-existent activity. According to the sentence, she received instructions to say that she worked for Joseba if any company manager asked about her duties. It is also noted that she was given guidelines to complete attendance records and circumvent internal controls.

In the case of Ignacio Zaldívar, the focus is on the subsequent hiring at Tragsatec. Anti-corruption maintains that he intervened after the then president of Adif, Isabel Pardo de Vera, entrusted him with arrangements related to Rodríguez's placement. The sentence states that Zaldívar informed Tragsatec managers that Rodríguez had some connection with the minister and that there was interest from Adif in her being hired.

A new offshoot of the 'mask case'

The indictment expands the ripple effect of the Koldo case after the Supreme Court's conviction. Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years and three months in prison and Koldo García to 19 years and eight months for their role in the mask plot. The resolution also highlighted facts that are now landing in the Audiencia Nacional to follow the trail of third parties.

During the trial, Jéssica Rodríguez acknowledged that she was hired and did not perform specific tasks. She also explained that she awaited instructions from Koldo or Joseba and was unaware of some details of the companies she was listed as working for. The Supreme Court, however, placed her hiring within a plan promoted from Ábalos's circle and executed with the help of people linked to public companies.

Rodríguez's name has also appeared in another judicial line related to the rescue of Plus Ultra, where a payment of 2,000 euros ordered by an investigated businessman is mentioned. That reference belongs to another case, but it reinforces the presence of Ábalos's ex-partner in several offshoots that have surrounded the former minister in recent months.

The calendar is set for July 20. Jéssica Rodríguez, Joseba García, and Ignacio Zaldívar will have to testify as investigated parties before Ismael Moreno in the Audiencia Nacional, where the part of the Koldo case affecting the investigated parties who were not tried by the Supreme Court remains open.