Overview
- Supreme Court judge Leopoldo Puente opened oral proceedings over the pandemic mask contracts, keeping José Luis Ábalos and his former adviser Koldo García in pretrial custody with €70,000 bonds and maintaining reporting and travel limits for businessman Víctor de Aldama.
- Prosecutors accuse the trio of criminal organization, bribery, misuse of privileged information, influence peddling, embezzlement, falsification and prevarication, with Anticorrupción seeking lengthy prison terms and the trial expected to be scheduled for February or March.
- The Guardia Civil’s UCO arrested ex‑PSOE militant Leire Díez, former SEPI president Vicente Fernández and entrepreneur Antxon Alonso, and carried out 19 searches in Madrid, Sevilla and Zaragoza at firms linked to Servinabar, which investigators indicate was used to channel illicit commissions tied to Santos Cerdán.
- The new detentions are under judicial secrecy, with the three expected to appear before the Audiencia Nacional on Saturday, and in a separate Madrid case Koldo García has moved to join as a private accuser against Díez for alleged bribery and influence peddling.
- In Argentina, a Quimilí service‑station employee sought exemption from pretrial detention in a probe of an alleged fraud exceeding ARS 100 million that audits say was disguised as unauthorized fuel promotions, with prosecutor Luciana Jacobo to determine next steps.