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Former Spanish minister sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption

Politiko 2026-06-22 16:02:22

Former Spanish minister sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption

One of the most prominent figures in Spanish politics, José Luis Ábalos, has been sentenced to 24 years and 3 months in prison by the High Court of Madrid for a series of criminal offenses related to corruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ábalos, a former Transport Minister and former senior official of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, was found guilty of criminal organization, bribery, misuse of public funds and influence peddling in the so-called "Mask Scandal", which relates to public contracts for the purchase of masks during the pandemic.

The court also sentenced his former advisor, Koldo García, to 19 years and 8 months in prison, while businessman Víctor de Aldama was sentenced to 4 and a half years in prison. The latter received a suspended sentence due to his cooperation with the justice system during the investigation.

According to the court's unanimous decision, the three defendants had set up an organized corruption network to benefit from public contracts related to the pandemic health emergency.

Investigations revealed that the illegal benefits included secret payments, personal favors, and other benefits in exchange for the award of public contracts.

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