The trial for the mask scheme resumed this Thursday at the Supreme Court with the testimony of Koldo García. In response to the prosecutor’s questions, Koldo denied receiving monthly cash payments of 10,000 euros that he and Ábalos allegedly received from Aldama at least between November 2019 and September 2022, according to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. He also denied the gifts mentioned by the businessman this Wednesday: a car, a motorcycle, and a fertility treatment. García did acknowledge having conveyed to the Ministry of Transport the offer to purchase medical supplies from Soluciones de Gestión, linked to Aldama. However, García denied having the power to award the purchase of eight million masks to that company. Additionally, the former advisor stated that Jésica Rodríguez, Ábalos’s ex-partner, blackmailed him by threatening to publish “personal things.” García also helped Rodríguez find the apartment in Plaza de España where she lived with rent paid by a partner of Aldama and forwarded her resume so she could work at the public company Ineco, dependent on the Ministry of Transport.
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Koldo denies having spoken with Sánchez after his arrival at Moncloa: “I did not speak with the president”
Koldo García described himself as a “very easygoing” man who talks even to stones. However, he denied having conversations with Pedro Sánchez since he arrived at La Moncloa and assumed the Presidency of Spain. “After he became Prime Minister, I think common sense has to resolve this, I did not speak with the Prime Minister,” he stated during his testimony.
Koldo García denies irregularities in the La Alcaidesa chalet: “I have the receipts showing I paid”
Koldo García’s defense now focuses on the La Alcaidesa (Cádiz) chalet. The Prosecutor’s Office claims that businessmen linked to Víctor de Aldama bought this property for former minister José Luis Ábalos to enjoy in exchange for obtaining a hydrocarbon operator license for the company Villafuel. Koldo García distanced himself from any irregularity and stated that although he vacationed at the chalet, he paid for it. “I have the receipts showing I paid,” he defended.
Koldo García states he had 27 mobile phones because he was a collaborator of the Civil Guard
Koldo García’s own lawyer, Leticia de la Hoz, began questioning. The former ministerial advisor took this opportunity to boast about all the decorations he has received over the past decades and to justify having 27 mobile phones because he was a collaborator of the State Security Forces and Corps. “My work was more focused on the Civil Guard. Those mobile phones are for that,” he emphasized.
He recounted that during his detention in February 2024, he was still collaborating with the armed institute in the fight against “jihadist terrorism.” García stated that he “met with the Civil Guard every week” while at the Ministry of Transport to “try to help them with everything they needed.”
The former ministerial advisor also stated that he asked companies for favors to hire people who, as he implied, did not provide services in those companies but collaborated with the Civil Guard to “save Spanish lives.”
Koldo reveals that Ábalos had signed a rental contract in Castellana that he could not occupy, which led to his move to the Plaza de España apartment
Koldo García explained that Ábalos and Jésica Rodríguez’s access to the Plaza de España apartment was an “absolutely temporary” solution. According to him, the former minister had signed a lease contract in Castellana that he ultimately could not occupy, which led to seeking an urgent alternative. “It was a very short time,” he insisted. “They were looking for something to meet, they wanted to start a project together.”
Koldo explained that he was the one who spoke with Alberto Escolano, one of Aldama’s partners, to temporarily lend the apartment. “I got along well with him. I said, hey, can this person stay here for this time?” he recounted. He recalled that Escolano himself declared he planned to use the apartment for companies. However, García admitted that “the situation was prolonged a bit” and acknowledged not knowing why Escolano continued paying the rent once Ábalos and Jésica ended their relationship.
Koldo, when asked if Jésica Rodríguez was a “companion lady”: “It has been made clear that she was”
During the interrogation, lawyer Marino Turiel asked Koldo García how former minister José Luis Ábalos and Jésica Rodríguez met. “Did Mr. (Víctor de) Aldama introduce Mrs. Jésica as a companion lady?” he asked. The former ministerial advisor insisted, as he had in other parts of his testimony, that he considered it “unnecessary” to address people’s private lives. He limited himself to answering: “It has been made clear that she was.”
Ábalos’s defense has maintained this strategy during the trial. During Rodríguez’s testimony as a witness, they directly asked if she was a “prostitute.” The young woman defended that she was a dentist.
Koldo says Ábalos’s ex-partner conveyed the idea that she worked: “The poor woman complained every day”
Ábalos’s defense now reviews several points already addressed by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. They asked about the hiring of Jésica Rodríguez, Ábalos’s ex-partner, at the public company Ineco. Koldo García insisted he only forwarded the young woman’s resume and emphasized that he never spoke to anyone about “this lady having a relationship” with Ábalos. Asked if Rodríguez conveyed the idea that she worked, he said yes. “The poor woman complained every day,” he stressed. The young woman, in her testimony as a witness, admitted receiving monthly payments but never performed any work.
Koldo García: “I will be grateful to Mr. Ábalos all my life”
Koldo García invoked his right not to testify to several parties in the proceedings. Specifically, to the popular accusations led by the PP and the defense of businessman Víctor de Aldama. Thus, the session resumed with the interrogation by the lawyer of former minister José Luis Ábalos. When asked about his working and friendship relationship with his former boss, García stated: “I will be grateful to Mr. Ábalos all my life.” “I have always had a good relationship with him,” he added.
Session resumes
The session resumes. The interrogation of Koldo García continues, who has already answered the questions posed by the Prosecutor’s Office. The former advisor addressed the purchase of masks by the Ministry of Transport, the hiring of Jésica Rodríguez and Claudia Montes in public companies, and the properties that, according to investigators, were paid for with money from the alleged corrupt scheme. García distanced himself from all the irregularities he is accused of.
Prosecutor’s interrogation ends: 10-minute recess
The chief Anti-Corruption prosecutor, Alejandro Luzón, has concluded his interrogation of Koldo García. The court has agreed on a recess of about 10 minutes before resuming the former ministerial advisor’s testimony.
Koldo García admits calls to the airport: “Let this person through, they have a meeting at Transport”
Koldo García admitted during the trial to having asked former minister José Luis Ábalos’s secretary to issue safe-conduct passes for several citizens at the request of businessman Víctor de Aldama. The former advisor insisted he did so because he understood those people were going to meet at the Ministry of Transport and needed the passes to travel. However, he said he did not know until now that they were Venezuelan citizens, as the prosecutor pointed out.
At this point in the interrogation, García also acknowledged making calls to Barajas airport. “Let this person through, they have a meeting at the Ministry of Transport,” he reportedly said, according to his testimony.
Koldo: “I do not recognize any of the audios”
Koldo García denied recognizing “any of the audios,” supposedly recorded by him, that have been made public during the case. The prosecutor asked him about one of them, in which, allegedly, José Luis Ábalos and he discuss the possibility of having spent 470,000 euros in two years. “Do you remember the recorded conversation?” the prosecutor asked. “It will have to be proven who I was talking to, but I better save it for my lawyer,” he responded, casting doubt on whether it was a conversation with the former minister. “You can tell me you do not recognize the conversation,” the prosecutor retorted. “I do not recognize any of the audios because I do not have them. When I can have them, I will recognize them, but you assure me something I do not even know, and supposedly I had the audio.”
García denies having received gifts and 10,000 euros per month from Aldama
The prosecutor asked former advisor to José Luis Ábalos about the monthly cash payments of 10,000 euros that he and Ábalos allegedly received from Aldama at least between November 2019 and September 2022, according to Anti-Corruption. García denied having received these 10,000-euro monthly payments.
He also denied the gifts mentioned by the businessman this Wednesday: a car, a motorcycle, and a fertility treatment. García specified that he bought the car from a company in Navarra when he was 18 years old. The same applies to the motorcycle. Regarding the fertility treatment, he acknowledged that Aldama paid for it because he could not at that time, but he later repaid him in three installments.
Koldo García says he will explain the messages about “chistorras” when answering his lawyer
Prosecutor Alejandro Luzón tried to steer the interrogation towards Koldo García’s asset increase. The former ministerial advisor, however, said he preferred to address that matter with his lawyer Leticia de la Hoz. He indicated he intends to “go point by point” through all his income. “It is very long and extensive,” he noted.
When asked about the “chistorras” messages exchanged with his ex-wife, Koldo insisted he would explain them when it was his lawyer’s turn to ask questions. “Are you referring to 500-euro bills?” the prosecutor insisted. But Koldo remained firm in his decision to speak on the matter only with his attorney.
An “envelope” in the Dominican Republic, a request from Aldama, and a tropical fruit business
The Prosecutor’s Office now addresses the trips of Joseba García, Koldo’s brother, to the Dominican Republic. According to the case file, he collected up to 20,000 euros in cash there. Two witnesses stated this during the trial. Koldo, however, distanced himself from this and defended that his brother merely collected an “envelope” with “documentation” at the request of businessman Víctor de Aldama. At this point, he emphasized that he is sure Joseba did not open the package.
The former ministerial advisor took this part of the interrogation to explain the business idea he had: one involving tropical fruits. He admitted he loves pitaya. Thus, he indicated he saw an opportunity in his brother’s trip to the Dominican Republic to delve into the matter and asked him to explore business options. According to him, Joseba went to the Caribbean because he is “very fond” of “adventure.” “He met a girl, took a plane, and left,” he noted.
Koldo admits managing the rental of Ábalos’s holiday chalet in Marbella through Aldama and paying part of the cost for an outstanding debt
The prosecutor questioned Koldo García about Villa Parra, the Marbella chalet where Ábalos spent his summer vacation in 2020. The former advisor admitted having sought the property through Víctor de Aldama, who “was involved in real estate” and had contacts in the area. “I sent him photos, the price, and the location,” he admitted.
The prosecutor read a WhatsApp message Koldo sent to Ábalos on August 10, saying: “I tell you, free for the inconvenience caused.” García explained that he assumed part of the cost as compensation for damages caused in a house Aldama had rented to him. “There were incidents, especially in the kitchen, and I said: ‘this way we are even,’” he recounted. He specified that he advanced the money and was later reimbursed part, so Ábalos’s vacation was not entirely free.
On the other hand, the prosecutor asked Koldo García if he remembers a visit by Víctor de Aldama and his partners to the Marbella chalet on August 18, 2020, to perform COVID tests on the former minister. García did not deny that they took place: “I know there were tests at Villa Parra.” Although he said he does not remember for sure if it was exactly those people, he admitted that “it could have been.”
Koldo says he merely conveyed Air Europa’s problems: “How could I decide on a bailout”
The turn comes to the Air Europa bailout. At this point in the interrogation, the Prosecutor’s Office reread messages that, according to the case file, Víctor de Aldama sent to former advisor Koldo García asking him to publish an official statement and not a press release from the Ministry of Transport about the airline.
García insisted he merely conveyed that message. “I relayed the problems any company had at any time. That does not mean I made the decision. How could I decide on a bailout? Let’s apply a bit of common sense,” he emphasized.
In response to the Prosecutor’s Office, García also said he contacted Secretary of State Pedro Saura to do what he could to “help a strategic company.”
Koldo García, during his confrontation with the prosecutor in the trial at the Supreme Court.
Koldo explodes against the prosecutor for interrupting him: “It’s because of that smile you’re giving me”
The prosecutor was asking Koldo García if he decided where José Luis Ábalos went on vacation, and he denied it. He was about to explain that “he did many things for him and sometimes took the initiative” when the prosecutor interrupted him: “the specific vacation area?” At that moment, Koldo rolled his eyes, looked away, and exploded against the prosecutor. “Well, now I will say it. Please let me finish,” visibly upset, though soon contrite, folding his hands in a pleading gesture. “It’s hard for me, I beg you. Do you understand? Because if you interrupt me, I get cut off and I can’t manage it,” he continued. The court president, Judge Arrieta, admonished him to answer. Koldo then proceeded to continue, looking at the prosecutor, when he was interrupted again, with a disgusted face: “It’s because of that smile… the way you’re looking at me,” he retorted to the prosecutor. The judge then stopped him. “No, excuse me, do not question the attitude of the person asking you questions. Listen to the question and answer it, and if you want to look the prosecutor in the eye, look at the court, who are the recipients of your testimony.”
Soon after, when the prosecutor continued his interrogation, Koldo’s lawyer, Leticia de la Hoz, protested. Then, the one who exploded was the prosecutor. “I ask not to be interrupted in the middle of an interrogation; it has not happened in 35 years of professional practice that a lawyer interrupts me in the middle of a question. I have endured it throughout the trial,” he said, while the judge assured he had already cut off the protest.
To conclude the animosity the prosecutor arouses in Koldo, when he states that he always “runs away” when a person or company is in trouble, the prosecutor sarcastically retorts: “Like with women’s problems?” “You have very bad taste!” replies the accused. The prosecutor smiles again.
Koldo García distances himself from the purchase of a chalet in Cádiz that the Prosecutor’s Office points to as payment in kind to Ábalos
The Prosecutor’s Office now focuses on the purchase of the La Alcaidesa (Cádiz) chalet, which, in their view, was a payment in kind to former minister José Luis Ábalos in exchange for the company Villafuel (linked to Claudio Rivas, partner of Víctor de Aldama) obtaining the operator license in the hydrocarbon sector.
Koldo García distanced himself from the purchase process. According to him, he merely looked for a property so that the former Transport minister could vacation with his then-wife. Asked about messages exchanged with Aldama on the matter, the former advisor indicated he spoke with the businessman about many issues.
Koldo García admits having arranged a meeting with the Chief of Staff of Industry at Aldama’s request
The prosecutor leaves the masks behind and moves on to the scheme’s dealings with the Ministry of Industry so that the company Villafuel could obtain a license as a hydrocarbon operator. At this point, Koldo García acknowledged having arranged a meeting with Juan Ignacio Díaz Bidart, who was chief of staff to Reyes Maroto when she was Minister of Industry, at the request of the investigated businessman Víctor de Aldama.
According to him, Díaz Bidart was “a work colleague.” “He was at the Ministry of Industry and I was at Transport. Because of my nature, I got along well with everyone. And I called everyone for whatever was needed,” he explained. Thus, he indicated he contacted Díaz Bidart: “Hey, do you have time for a meeting to clarify some points?” The case file shows that meeting took place.
Koldo García acknowledges having conveyed Aldama’s company’s offer but denies having decision-making power
Koldo García acknowledged having conveyed the offer from Soluciones de Gestión, linked to businessman Víctor de Aldama, to the Ministry of Transport. But he denied having the power to award the purchase of eight million masks to that company. “I do not have that authority,” he defended. He did so in response to the chief Anti-Corruption prosecutor’s questions, who focused his interrogation on the purchase of medical supplies after addressing the hiring of Jésica Rodríguez and Claudia Montes, women linked to former minister José Luis Ábalos, in public companies.
During his testimony, he insisted that “medical supplies had to be brought in.” “And that is what we all did. Including Mr. Aldama.” He emphasized that “the only thing that concerned Minister Ábalos was obtaining the masks.” Therefore, he said, as an advisor, he dedicated himself to calling “even the Chinese embassy” to secure the shipment of the material. “I was even at the airport the first time they arrived,” he added, then emphasizing that he asked for them to be distributed “quickly.”
Koldo García, on the contracts of Puertos del Estado: “Half the world knew they were looking for medical supplies”
The trial now focuses on the mask contracts awarded by the Ministry of Transport during the pandemic. Koldo García explained that he made arrangements as an advisor to José Luis Ábalos because “everyone was calling to get medical supplies.”
However, he stated that he does not remember who gave him the offer from Soluciones de Gestión, linked to businessman Víctor de Aldama, nor when he received it. He did say that “all the offers I received, I sent” to “everyone I knew from any other Ministry” because “half the world knew that governments and autonomous communities were looking for medical supplies.”
García distanced himself from the alleged warning businessman Víctor de Aldama received before the Ministry of Transport made public its intention to buy masks. “Did half the world know about the eight million for Puertos del Estado?” the chief Anti-Corruption prosecutor asked. García answered “I think so.” And immediately, the former ministerial advisor insisted he does not remember who informed him of that award.
Koldo’s lawyer asks the prosecutor not to interrupt the former advisor: “He gets nervous. He is not used to speaking in public”
Lawyer Leticia de la Hoz, in charge of Koldo García’s defense, asked chief Anti-Corruption prosecutor Alejandro Luzón not to interrupt the former ministerial advisor during his testimony in the trial. “Please, do not interrupt him; he gets nervous. He is not used to speaking in public,” the lawyer stated.
The request took place while the prosecutor was asking García if he had called the former president of Renfe to investigate whether Claudia Montes was suffering harassment at Logirail. The former advisor insisted he only remembers sending messages but does not rule out having called him to say: “Solve this because I hope it is not true.”
Koldo García says he sent Claudia Montes’s resume to Renfe’s president because Ábalos wanted to help her
The Prosecutor’s Office now focuses the interrogation on Claudia Montes’s hiring at the public company Logirail. Koldo García insisted that former minister José Luis Ábalos is a man capable of helping a woman he has known for only one day. According to him, Montes told the former Transport minister that she was a single mother and unemployed. “Let’s see if we can help her with something specific (…) Is there any vacancy or something somewhere?” he said the former minister commented.
García emphasized that personnel was always needed and explained that he contacted the woman, and she sent him a resume. “I sent the resume to Isaías (Taboas, then president of Renfe),” he noted.
Additionally, García acknowledged contacting Renfe’s then-president again because Montes told him she was being harassed at work. “She complained about something every day,” he stressed. He insisted he felt the need to give the warning, not because she wrote to him a lot, but because the woman said she was suffering specific harassment.
The prosecutor tries to prove Koldo’s efforts regarding Jésica’s work; Koldo maintains his conclusion is “wrong”
The prosecutor tried for several minutes to clarify whether Koldo García made efforts to find work or help Jésica Rodríguez, former partner of José Luis Ábalos, in public companies. Koldo acknowledged forwarding her resume to some of them, that he and his brother helped her fill out work parts and some other arrangements. But he denied knowing that she did not attend her workplace, even though the prosecutor showed him several WhatsApp messages concluding that she did not go to work and asked for advice on what to say if someone asked about her job. “I was convinced she teleworked,” he insisted, in response to those messages. He insisted he sent “1,000 messages to Jésica” and that if all were read, a conclusion different from the prosecutor’s, which he called “wrong,” would be reached.
Koldo García, about Ábalos’s ex-partner: “I was not even aware she had started working at Tragsatec”
The turn comes to addressing Jésica Rodríguez’s hiring at Tragsatec. Koldo García denied having made arrangements for the former minister José Luis Ábalos’s ex-partner to start working at that public company. “I was not even aware she had started working at Tragsatec,” he stated.
Koldo says he thought Ábalos’s ex-partner teleworked: “I have not told anyone not to go to work”
Koldo García denied on Thursday having told Jésica Rodríguez, former partner of ex-minister José Luis Ábalos, not to go to work at Ineco’s headquarters. “I have not told anyone not to go to work,” he stated. He insisted to prosecutor Alejandro Luzón that it was false that he encouraged anyone not to work. “What I did believe is that she teleworked,” he added.
He also defended that his brother, Joseba García, merely explained to Rodríguez “with all good faith in the world” how to fill out time sheets at that public company. In this regard, he denied that his brother filled out false time sheets.
On his part, García acknowledged having spoken with Adif’s president, Isabel Pardo de Vera, to renew Jésica Rodríguez’s contract at Ineco. However, he denied having made arrangements with anyone else. “Did you contact anyone else?” the chief of Anti-Corruption insisted. To which the former ministerial advisor replied: “Not that I remember.”
Koldo García acknowledges having forwarded Jésica Rodríguez’s resume but denies having received orders
The interrogation changes course and now focuses on Jésica Rodríguez’s hiring at the public company Ineco, dependent on the Ministry of Transport. The young woman admitted before the Supreme Court that she was paid without working. Koldo García acknowledged forwarding Rodríguez’s resume but denied instructions from Adif’s president, Isabel Pardo de Vera, or former minister José Luis Ábalos.
“It is true that I forwarded a resume. I have forwarded many more,” he said, although he defended that he merely asked what the “protocol” was for the young woman to be able to work at Ineco.
He insisted his intention was to “help” Rodríguez. “If we can get her to work somewhere, let’s see if we can do it,” he noted. According to him, he accompanied her to the interview to support and “calm her because she was very nervous.” “It was her first interview,” he insisted. Thus, he said he accompanied her because Ábalos could not go.
Koldo García assures that Ábalos “suffered” “pressure” from Jésica Rodríguez
Koldo García stated that former minister José Luis Ábalos suffered pressure from Jésica Rodríguez, a young dentistry student who ended up being his partner for a time and lived in an apartment in central Madrid paid for by the scheme. The former advisor lamented that, “unfortunately,” now everyone is aware of the former Transport minister’s private life. He emphasized that Ábalos has had “problems he does not deserve” as a result of that relationship. “Mr. Ábalos suffered pressure from this young lady,” he affirmed.
“Ábalos suffered quite a bit of pressure from this young lady, which ended in expressions from her that were inappropriate. This young lady pressured quite a bit that problems had to be solved because otherwise, the public opinion would know about certain personal, not illegal, things,” he recounted. Yesterday, Víctor de Aldama declared that Jésica “had a video of Ábalos.”
García insisted that “that specific situation he lived with this young lady” is not something he wishes on anyone. He explained that is why he assumed, for a time, the payment of the 2,901 euros monthly rent for the apartment located in Plaza España in Madrid.
Koldo García helped Jésica Rodríguez find a rental apartment
Koldo García explained, in response to the prosecutor’s questions, that he helped Jésica Rodríguez, former partner of José Luis Ábalos, find a rental apartment in Plaza de España in Madrid for a “very short time” because they were looking for another property.
García insisted that no one gave him “any order” on this matter. Although later he added: “Talking with Miss Jésica and Mr. Ábalos, they told me they were looking for a rental apartment, and I said, let’s see if I can help you. I tried to find that apartment. It is true that they requested it from me.” He also confirmed knowing that the rent was paid by Alberto Escolano, one of Aldama’s partners.
Koldo García: “I met Miss Jésica through Mr. Aldama”
The prosecutor’s interrogation now focuses on Jésica Rodríguez, who was former minister José Luis Ábalos’s partner, ended up hired in two public companies dependent on Transport (where she was paid without working), and lived in an apartment in central Madrid paid for by the scheme.
Koldo García took the opportunity to clarify one matter: how he met the woman, who testified as a witness in the trial and during the investigation phase. “I met Miss Jésica through Mr. (Víctor de) Aldama.”
This statement reinforces the theory that Ábalos’s lawyer has tried to defend during the sessions, that the middleman was the one who introduced the young woman into their lives. In fact, the lawyer even asked Rodríguez before the court if she was a prostitute. This Thursday, García reproached the discussion of the young woman’s private life, defending that she earned a living honestly.
Koldo García, on how he met Aldama: “I did not hesitate to call whoever was needed to solve a problem”
Koldo García also explained how he met Víctor de Aldama. It was through Rubén Aldama, a bodyguard he met through work and brother of the businessman. “He told me he had a brother who is a businessman,” he indicated. And, according to him, he did not introduce him until months later. “I attended to everyone. That is where I met Mr. Víctor de Aldama,” he specified. Although he said he did not contact him again until much later: “I did not hesitate to call whoever was needed to solve a problem.”
Koldo: “I took all the mundane work away from Ábalos so he could focus on what he had to worry about”
Delving into his relationship with José Luis Ábalos, the prosecutor asked Koldo García if he did personal tasks for him, such as looking for a chalet, picking up the children, buying gifts for friends or partners, making payments on his behalf, like hotels, etc. Koldo’s response was that Ábalos “worked a lot” and he “had to take as much work away from him as possible.” “I tried to get rid of the mundane things so he could focus on what he had to worry about,” he insisted.
Koldo recounts how he met Ábalos and recalls Sánchez’s primaries
With a folder and many papers, Koldo García began answering the Prosecutor’s questions. Prosecutor Alejandro Luzón wanted to start the interrogation with the relationship between the former advisor and former minister José Luis Ábalos. Koldo explained they met at a rally and took the opportunity to mention the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, during his time in the PSOE primaries. According to him, he first started working for Ferraz, where he performed “driver” functions and was dedicated to “speeding up” party matters. Then, he said, he moved to Transport. “Don’t worry, I will answer everything,” he warned the prosecutor a few minutes after starting his testimony.
Koldo García testifies before the Supreme Court this Thursday.
Session begins: it’s Koldo García’s turn
Koldo García, former advisor to former minister José Luis Ábalos in Transport, is in charge of opening this Thursday’s session. After spending all the days sitting behind his lawyer, who has had several clashes with the court, today he takes the stand. He sits in the central chair knowing that the Prosecutor’s Office is asking for a 19-and-a-half-year prison sentence for him. He has already spent five months sleeping in Soto del Real prison (Madrid), from where he is transferred every morning to the Supreme Court in a police van. The public prosecutor places him in a criminal organization and attributes crimes of bribery, misuse of privileged information, influence peddling, and embezzlement. In addition to the prison sentence, the Prosecutor’s Office demands he pay a fine of 3.8 million euros.
García appears after businessman Víctor de Aldama, the first of the accused, testified (for almost eight hours) on Wednesday. The alleged middleman of the scheme did not hesitate to point at him. He elevated Koldo from a mere ministerial advisor to a man of Pedro Sánchez; he even said his natural destination would have been La Moncloa but ended up in Transport alongside Ábalos. Aldama also claimed to have paid monthly commissions of 10,000 euros to the former advisor, as well as a motorcycle and even the insemination treatment of his then-partner.
In addition to the commissions Aldama points out, there are reports from the Civil Guard attributing to him arrangements to rig mask contracts during the pandemic and to place women linked to Ábalos in public companies dependent on Transport. Koldo can choose whether to answer all parties or only his lawyer, whichever he considers best for his defense strategy.
‘Koldo Case’
All the ammunition of Victor de Aldama
The middleman claimed that if there was a criminal organization, the number one was Pedro Sánchez, followed by Ábalos, Koldo, and himself
You can watch the full video here
‘KOLDO CASE’
The Government fights back against Aldama’s “lies” but believes they will have no consequences because he provides no evidence
The Government and PSOE followed with deep indignation a decisive day in the trial of the mask case at the Supreme Court. For four hours, the main confessed corrupter in the case, Víctor de Aldama, not only pointed to the two main defendants, José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García, but also tried to implicate the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and suggest illegal financing of the PSOE.
You can read the full information here
Good morning. Koldo García, former advisor to former minister José Luis Ábalos, testifies this Thursday in the trial ongoing at the Supreme Court against both and businessman Víctor de Aldama after the extensive testimony of the latter, which took up the entire Wednesday session. Although it was planned that the three defendants would offer their respective versions in the same session, Aldama occupied the entire day, with almost eight hours.
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