Overview

• The judge rejected José Luis Ábalos’s attempt to drop his private lawyer on the eve of his appearance, calling the move a misuse of rights and requiring the same counsel to attend unless a fully prepared replacement is named immediately.
• The court kept Ábalos’s interrogation for Wednesday at 10 a.m., to be followed by a measures hearing where prosecutors or other accusers may seek pretrial detention.
• Ábalos must designate a new lawyer within three working days or the court will appoint one, with the change taking effect once the new counsel formally assumes the defense.
• The investigation draws on a Guardia Civil UCO report alleging Ábalos and adviser Koldo García handled up to €95,000 in unexplained cash, with García scheduled to appear Thursday.
• Ábalos said on social media he will attend the hearing and had requested a court-appointed lawyer after a strategic split with his defender, José Aníbal Álvarez.