The president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has just spoken after the Supreme Court's ruling on the 'mask case' was made public. In this regard, he has once again called for elections, reiterated that he will not promote a motion of no confidence and demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. "The man to whom he entrusted his confidence, the party and millions of euros," he declared in reference to the 24-year prison sentence for the former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos.
"We are in a critical situation for Spanish democracy. We are experiencing situations incompatible with democratic normality, and the most serious is today's with the Supreme Court's ruling of 24 years in prison for Sánchez's minister who promoted a motion against corruption," argued the leader of the main opposition party in a press conference after the high court's ruling.
"I am not going to deny the very serious situation in which Spanish politics and the Government find themselves. It is an unprecedented level of degradation. Everything is garbage that has soiled public life," Feijóo stated, before appealing to the declaration of former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in the Audiencia Nacional.
"Justice has spoken and now politics must speak. Faced with a judicial ruling like the one we have learned about, there is no room to hide, wait or maneuver. Responsibility has a name and surname: Pedro Sánchez Pérez Castejón," Alberto Núñez Feijóo declared.
In this vein, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, also spoke, writing on her X account: "If you are number 1, general secretary of the PSOE, and your number 2, organization secretary, is convicted; if you are the president of the Government and the minister who managed the most budget is convicted... And if the sentence is 24 years in prison just for the first trial... Isn't that enough for you to call elections, Pedro Sánchez?"
Si eres el 1, secretario general del PSOE y condenan a tu 2, secretario de organización; si eres el presidente del Gobierno y condenan al ministro que más presupuesto manejaba…
— Isabel Díaz Ayuso (@IdiazAyuso) June 22, 2026
Y si la condena es a 24 años de cárcel solo por el primer juicio…
¿No es suficiente para que…
The sentences for Ábalos, Koldo and Aldama
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 after assessing 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 regard, the businessman will not have to return the 3.7 million euros from the masks either.
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 black payments, gifts and political favors.
⚖️ 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
— Poder Judicial (@PoderJudicialEs) June 22, 2026
📄 Summary note of the sentence: https://t.co/Y3ytsJkTze pic.twitter.com/XDCJTFAUxy
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