Spain’s ex-transport minister sentenced to 24 years for corruption

MADRID - Spain’s Supreme Court on June 22 sentenced former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos to 24 years in prison for corruption, marking the first verdict in a series of scandals affecting the ruling Socialist Party.

Abalos was convicted of offences including criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling, linked to the rigging of public contracts for medical supplies such as face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he was in office.

His aide, Koldo Garcia, was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Businessman Victor de Aldama received a 4½-year sentence, but the court suspended the prison term in recognition of his cooperation in uncovering the scheme, on condition that he does not reoffend, submits biannual activity reports and completes one year of community service.

The trial concerns one of a slew of graft cases involving the entourage of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe’s few remaining leftist leaders, who came to power eight years ago by ousting a corruption-plagued centre-right government on the promise of cleaning up politics.

While he is under fire even from allies, Sanchez himself has not been named in any of the cases and has said they are a part of a campaign to oust him. REUTERS