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Congress Suspends José Luis Ábalos After Supreme Court Upholds Indictment

The move applies a rule that suspends a jailed member upon a final indictment.

Overview

  • The chamber’s governing board acted after the Supreme Court rejected Ábalos’s appeal, making his processing order final and paving the way for trial next year.
  • Under Article 21.1.2, he loses salary, voting rights, parliamentary activity and social coverage, and the Mixed Group forfeits a proportional subsidy, though he keeps his seat.
  • Ábalos remains in pretrial detention in the ‘Koldo’ case over alleged irregularities in pandemic mask purchases, with the judge citing an “extreme” flight risk and prosecutors seeking 24 years.
  • His bid to vote remotely under Article 82.2.g was not granted once the suspension took effect.
  • With his vote removed, the chamber counts 349 possible votes and the government may need Junts’ affirmative support in close divisions, while the absolute majority threshold stays at 176.