Spain’s Supreme Court has sentenced José Luis Ábalos, former Minister of Transport and a key ally of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to 24 years in prison on multiple corruption charges.
The court convicted Ábalos of leading a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement of public funds, abuse of office, and influence peddling.
The verdict was delivered on June 22.According to the ruling, Ábalos and his former adviser, Koldo García, accepted bribes in exchange for awarding government contracts, particularly for the supply of protective masks and other medical materials during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bribes reportedly included cash payments as well as real estate, such as apartments in Madrid and on the Mediterranean coast. Koldo García was sentenced to 19 years in prison in the same case.
The Supreme Court’s decision marks the first major verdict in a series of investigations linked to public contracts awarded during the pandemic. It represents a significant development for the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), where Ábalos was once a senior figure.
On the same day, a separate court order required Begoña Gómez, the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to surrender her passport in connection with a different corruption-related investigation.
Ábalos has been one of the most prominent political figures implicated in the so-called “Koldo case.” He has previously denied the allegations.