Spain’s Supreme Court sentences former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for corruption linked to COVID-19 public procurement. Multiple outlets report that the case involves alleged bribes connected to contracts for sanitary equipment, including face masks, awarded during the pandemic. The court also convicts Ábalos’s former aide, Koldo García, in a related case, according to reporting that describes the broader investigation and trial as part of a series of scandals surrounding Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s circle.
The reporting frames the ruling as a significant blow to Sánchez politically, but the Supreme Court’s decision focuses on Ábalos’s criminal liability for wrongdoing tied to the contracts. Coverage also notes that other separate corruption investigations involving members of Sánchez’s close network add further pressure on the government. Several outlets emphasize that Sánchez is not named as a defendant in Ábalos’s case, while broader legal proceedings continue in parallel, including matters involving other relatives. The sentence is described as unusually long and reflects multiple offences accumulated in the verdict.
