“I never had the suspicion that he could be involved in any shady business.” With these words, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, responded this Thursday to the question of whether he knew that the former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, could have something to do with the Koldo case that has placed the latter on the brink of the imputation. In his appearance before the Senate mask investigation commission, Marlaska also stressed that he “never” met with Koldo García, Ábalos’ former advisor accused in the case, nor with Víctor de Aldama, the alleged perpetrator of the plot now in prison.
Regarding the acquisition by the Ministry of the Interior of medical supplies from the main company of the plot, Marlaska has assured that it was done in a “transparent” and “legal” manner and wanted to show his “respect” for the “judicial decisions.” after learning that the judge in the Koldo case has requested the indictment of Ábalos. “There is no connection of any person from the Ministry of the Interior with the plot,” he said, before highlighting the “purchase procedure” took place “without any impact on the development of that contract as it relates to your department.
Marlaska has admitted that the former minister’s situation “hurts” him because of the relationship they had when they met within the Government. And time and time again he has insisted that he was not aware of any type of irregularity on the part of the former minister. “I’m not aware that there was any knowledge about it,” he stressed.
The minister has assured that he “knew” Koldo only “as an advisor” to Ábalos, and that their relationship was limited to sharing “institutional events” in which both ministers coincided. He has also assured that no one from his team warned him that the Koldo case was being investigated. Once known, he assured that cooperation with justice is “absolute.”
“I have never met with Koldo García,” he concluded. And regarding Aldama, he said: “I have never met nor do I think I have ever met Aldama.”
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