Overview
- The Supreme Court’s appeals chamber dismissed the challenges lodged after the January 15 hearing by former minister José Luis Ábalos and ex‑advisor Koldo García.
- The ruling adopts the Anti‑Corruption Prosecutor’s view that flight risk has increased with the approaching trial and the severity of potential sentences.
- The defendants face up to 30 years in prison on charges including organized crime, bribery, influence peddling, embezzlement, misuse of privileged information and document falsification.
- Prosecutors allege a kickback scheme tied to public contracts for pandemic mask purchases.
- The court said evidentiary indications have strengthened over time and rejected the claim that Ábalos’s status as a sitting deputy should bar his incarceration.