Overview
- Justice Leopoldo Puente issued an abbreviated procedure order proposing trial on provisional charges of bribery, criminal organization, influence peddling and embezzlement.
- The ruling alleges the trio leveraged Ábalos’s ministerial post to steer pandemic mask contracts through Puertos del Estado and ADIF to firms linked to Víctor de Aldama, with press reports citing about €53 million in awards.
- According to the order, Aldama paid Koldo García €10,000 a month in cash from October 2019 to at least 2021, with some deliveries routed via the Dominican Republic.
- Alleged benefits include a below‑market lease‑option for an upscale Madrid flat for Ábalos, payment of a luxury apartment for Jésica Rodríguez, and public‑sector hires where no work was performed.
- The judge highlights that Aldama’s testimony is self‑incriminating and supports the scheme, as a separate public‑works probe tied to Santos Cerdán continues at an earlier phase with Cerdán in provisional custody.