The Supreme Court issues sentence in the 'mask case': 24 years in prison for Ábalos, 19 years and eight months for Koldo, and 4 years for Aldama but he will not go to prison

Víctor de Aldama, José Luis Ábalos, and Koldo García, in that order, sat to testify before the Supreme Court judge where the investigation into 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 was carried out. In this regard, this Monday the sentence has just been announced, which condemns Ábalos to 24 years in prison and García to 19 years and eight months, for crimes of criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, and influence peddling.

In the case of Aldama, the high court imposes 4 and a half years in prison, although it agrees to suspend the execution of the sentence, valuing his collaboration in clarifying the facts, conditioned on not committing crimes, submitting semi-annual activity reports, and performing one year of community service. In this sense, the businessman will also not have to return the 3.7 million euros from the masks.

Sources close to the former minister have informed 'ElConstitucional.es' that at 12:00 p.m. the lawyers of those investigated met at the Supreme Court. Likewise, the businessman Aldama attended the high court. However, Ábalos joined by videoconference at 1:00 p.m.

⚖️ The Supreme Court unanimously condemns former minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison and his former advisor Koldo García to 19 years for crimes of criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, and influence peddling

📄 Summary note of the sentence: https://t.co/Y3ytsJkTze pic.twitter.com/XDCJTFAUxy

— Poder Judicial (@PoderJudicialEs) June 22, 2026

The 'mask case' was uncovered in February 2024 by the UCO and revealed that entities dependent on the Ministry of Transport -Puertos del Estado and Adif- awarded contracts for 54 million euros for 13 million defective masks 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.

Among the accredited facts, the resolution also includes a monthly remuneration of 10,000 euros for "fixed expenses" for Ábalos, the hiring of people from his circle in public companies, the payment of rents and housing in Madrid, Marbella, and La Línea de la Concepción, as well as operations linked to political and business dealings related to the rescue of Air Europa and hydrocarbon licenses.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office states that the three "agreed to the future commission of crimes, as 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 also emphasizes that the actions of the convicted individuals caused a "serious deterioration of citizen trust in the political system," considering that corruption "undermines the democratic architecture of the State."