Spain's Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos to 24 years in prison for corruption, the first sentence in a series of scandals affecting the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Abalos was found guilty on charges including participation in a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement and trading in influence. The charges relate to the manipulation of public procurement for medical supplies, including protective masks, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he held the ministerial post.
His aide, Koldo Garcia, was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Businessman Victor de Aldama, considered a middleman in the scheme, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. However, his sentence was suspended after he cooperated with the investigation and helped uncover the scheme. The condition is that Aldama does not commit new crimes, submit a report on his activities twice a year and carry out one year of community service.
The trial concerns one of the many corruption cases involving the circle around Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez – one of Europe's few remaining left-wing leaders, who came to power eight years ago after ousting a centre-right government marred by corruption scandals, promising to cleanse politics of corruption.
Despite facing criticism even from his own allies, Sanchez himself has not been named in any of the cases and has said they are part of a campaign to remove him.