Overview
- The former transport minister is currently without private legal representation after his latest defense team renounced the case.
- Carlos Bautista of Chabaneix Abogados resigned citing unpaid fees after substantial preparatory work, and the court accepted the renunciation.
- The judge has directed Bautista to appear at the January 15 hearing on Ábalos’s appeal against his November 27 pretrial detention, and sources indicate the session will proceed.
- Anti-Corruption is seeking a 24-year prison sentence in the masks procurement case, with a separate Supreme Court investigation on alleged public-works rigging still active.
- Reports say some lawyers have offered to represent Ábalos pro bono and his circle says he is selecting new counsel, but no appointment has been confirmed.