Aldama accuses Ábalos of asking for commissions in exchange for public awards of highway works

The businessman Víctor de Aldama has addressed the Supreme Court to provide, before his statement, details and documentation in which he affirms that José Luis Ábalos was going to charge commissions in exchange for awarding, in the future, different public contracts to entities of the plot. The defense of the accused, who was released a few days ago after confessing for two hours in the two cases in which he is accused in the National Court, affirms according to media such as El Español or El Confidencial that he has evidence about this commission project and awards.

In parallel, the judge of the National Court investigating the rest of the known as ‘Koldo case’ has asked the Civil Guard to check if what he said in his two hours of confession is true.

Víctor de Aldama was released on November 21 after testifying for two hours before the judge of the National Court investigating the ‘Koldo case’, the alleged corrupt network of million-dollar awards to his companies in exchange for commissions and favors to officials. public. That confession, both about that cause and about the hydrocarbon network for which he is being investigated, earned him his freedom. He even claimed, without providing evidence, that he had paid commissions of thousands of euros to politicians like Santos Cerdán.

Part of his confession reached the Supreme Court, which recently called him and José Luis Ábalos to testify, accused of benefiting from the plot led by his right-hand man, Koldo García. This Wednesday it was Víctor de Aldama’s defense that, a week before the appearance, provided a document with statements and documents that, according to their version, support their accusations against the former minister and now deputy.

As reported by media such as The Spanish either The ConfidentialDe Aldama has provided a list of large public works contracts dependent on the ministry that Ábalos then directed. Contracts but also companies that would have agreed to pay commissions if they were awarded and that depended, above all, on the Highway Directorate. An undeveloped operation was also devised for the former minister to obtain an apartment valued at almost two million euros on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid.

Former Minister Ábalos will testify as a defendant before the Supreme Court judge who has assumed part of the case on December 12. Four days later Víctor de Aldama himself will do so and, later, his former advisor Koldo García.

The judge asks to verify his confession

In parallel, the judge of the National Court who continues investigating the part of the case that does not affect Ábalos has moved on his two-hour confession at the end of November. He has asked the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard to analyze his words to find out which part of his confession corresponds to reality. Among other things, De Aldama even stated that he had paid thousands of euros in commissions destined, among others, to the socialist leader Santos Cerdán, who has announced legal actions against him.

The businessman, free with precautionary measures for more than a week, is accused in three different cases. One of them, for which he was in provisional prison, revolves around a massive tax evasion scheme in the hydrocarbon sector, with several of his companies considered the epicenter of the scheme.

The other two are the two ramifications of the Koldo case, one in the National Court and the other in the Supreme Court, in which he is considered the ‘achiever’ of the plot: the one who was in direct and constant contact with Koldo García, right-hand man. de Ábalos in the ministry during the pandemic, with 53 million euros in public contracts for the purchase and sale of medical supplies under suspicion.