Overview

• José Luis Ábalos appointed Carlos Bautista of Chabaneix Abogados as lead counsel, a former Audiencia Nacional prosecutor known for the 11-M and Faisán cases, according to the firm.
• After invoking his right to remain silent at the Supreme Court, Koldo García retained liberty under existing measures that include a passport withdrawal, a ban on leaving Spain, and biweekly court check-ins.
• In an order, Judge Leopoldo Puente said indications of guilt persist and the risk of flight has grown, yet not to the intensity that warrants preventive custody, and he saw no current risk of reoffending or destroying evidence.
• The judge’s review of UCO findings portrays García as custodian of Ábalos’s finances, citing recordings and roughly €94,883 in cash deposits and payments, plus items such as a Marbella rental and Madrid housing costs.
• García told TVE the money he handled “was Ábalos’s” and his defense protested lack of access to seized devices still under UCO analysis, as the judge separately invited Congress to consider rules for deputies under serious investigation.