Overview

• Former transport minister José Luis Ábalos formally retained Carlos Bautista on October 16 after parting ways with lawyer José Aníbal Álvarez.
• Bautista served for decades as a public prosecutor, nearly two of them at the Audiencia Nacional, and now practices at Chabaneix Abogados.
• Chabaneix Abogados highlighted Bautista’s experience in judicial cooperation, economic crime and extraditions, emphasizing his management of complex proceedings.
• According to reporting, Ábalos broke with previous counsel over defense strategy and had requested a court‑appointed lawyer for a recent Supreme Court appearance.
• The case is investigating whether Ábalos accepted illicit payments in exchange for rigging public works contracts, allegations now to be handled by his new defense team.