Overview

• Supreme Court judge Leopoldo Puente refused to accept the renunciation of José Luis Ábalos’s longtime lawyer, calling it a potential fraud of law and compelling the attorney to attend the hearing.
• Ábalos has now appointed former National Court prosecutor Carlos Bautista as his new counsel in the ‘Koldo’ case.
• Judicial orders signal that the masks‑procurement trial is approaching and cite sufficient indicia of serious crimes including criminal organization, influence peddling, bribery and possible embezzlement.
• Press reports cited by the defense describe contacts with Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office about a plea agreement, a route Ábalos rejected because it would require acknowledging the alleged facts.
• Because Ábalos remains a deputy, parts of the case sit with the Supreme Court and the National Court, and his defense also withdrew a filing error that briefly sought testimony from his ex‑wife after trying to stop a Telecinco interview.