Abalos and aide deny corruption charges over COVID-19 contracts

Former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos was taken to Soto del Real prison on Thursday following a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court ordering his pre-trial detention over a corruption scandal that has embroiled Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing government.

The court said Abalos, a senior member of the ruling Socialist Party, posed a flight risk, making pre-trial detention necessary. He, along with his aide Koldo Garcia and a businessman, is accused of rigging public contracts for medical supplies, including face masks, during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was in office. Both Abalos and Garcia deny any wrongdoing. In a related development, the Supreme Court ordered on Wednesday the provisional release of former senior Socialist Party official Santos Cerdan, citing a reduced risk of evidence tampering amid the ongoing corruption investigation. Cerdan, who was remanded in custody in June, faces potential charges including involvement in a criminal organisation, bribery and influence-peddling linked to kickbacks for awarding public works contracts. Speaking to journalists after leaving Soto del Real prison, Cerdan said he hoped “the truth will prevail and that, in the end, justice will be done.” The case against Cerdan is the most serious in a series of scandals dogging Spain’s Socialist-led left-wing minority government, which forced Prime Minister Sanchez to apologise in June and fend off calls from opponents for a snap election. In a separate Supreme Court case, anti-corruption prosecutors are seeking 24 years’ imprisonment for Abalos, the Socialist Party’s former organisational secretary, in connection with the same COVID-19 medical contracts. The court noted it had secured information “that would very likely have been concealed or would have been very difficult to access” if Cerdan had remained free. Under the court’s conditions, Cerdan must surrender his passport, report to the Supreme Court every 15 days, and remain in Spain. The court added that there was no risk of a repeat offence since Cerdan no longer holds public office or party leadership positions. 

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