Ex-Spanish minister and aide jailed without bail in corruption case
The Spanish Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the pre-trial detention without bail of former transport minister José Luis Ábalos and his aide, Koldo García, amid an ongoing corruption investigation that has shaken the country over the past year.
The case centres on allegations that the two men were involved in a high-profile kickback scheme that has embroiled Spain’s ruling Socialist Party (PSOE), News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Ábalos has been a member of Spain’s Congress of Deputies since 2009, but he was expelled from the PSOE last year after the allegations against him were revealed. He has since served as an independent.
Thursday’s ruling will mark the first time a sitting member of parliament will go to jail in Spain while serving in Congress. He will lose his voting rights and his salary, and lawmakers will soon decide what to do with his seat.
Judge Leopoldo Puente announced the precautionary measures due to “the extreme risk of flight” in view of the upcoming trial and the seriousness of the allegations.
Both Ábalos and García are under investigation for potential offences including membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, insider trading, influence peddling, and embezzlement, reads the document.
Last week, Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor requested that Ábalos and García be sentenced to 24 and 19 years in prison, respectively.
Since 2024, Spanish judicial authorities have been investigating the so-called “Koldo Case”, in which Ábalos, García, and Santos Cerdán – also a former organisational secretary of the PSOE and a close ally of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – are accused of creating an alleged multi-million euro criminal network of rigged contracts, kickbacks and influence peddling in the health and public works sectors.
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