The month of October 2020 was ending, the first year of the covid-19 pandemic, when the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI) announced the rescue of the Air Europa airlineproperty of Globalia Groupof the Hidalgo familywith 475 million euros coming from the strategic business rescue fund created by the Government to alleviate the economic situation derived from the pandemic.
As it turned out then, SEPI hired the consulting firm PwC to evaluate the plan presented by Air Europa in order to access the Solvency Support Fund for Strategic Companies.
He Council of Ministers approved the rescue on November 3, 2020 and Globalia became the first Spanish company to be rescued by the Government due to the impact of the pandemic. The Executive agreed to provide the airline with a participatory loan of 240 million and another ordinary loan of 235 million more, which should be repaid in six years. Besides Air Europa received an ICO credit of 140 million euros that same year, 2020, which must be returned by 2028 at the latest.
The company carries debts, while the IAG holding company, to which it belongs Iberiaawaits authorization from the EU to be able to complete the acquisition of Air Europaan operation that began in 2019, when the price of one billion was agreed upon, which was reduced by half during the pandemic.
The rescue of the Spanish airline returned to the news following the complaint of the Ultra Clean Hands pseudo-union against Begoña Gómezwife of the President of the Government, in which, among other things, she raised suspicions about the fact that Globalia had signed a collaboration agreement, in January 2020, with the Africa Centerfrom the Business Institute, directed by Gómez, which was later suspended due to the pandemic. The ultras relate this link to the subsequent rescue of the airline.
After Judge Peinado admitted the Manos Cleans complaint for processing, the PP filed a complaint in the Conflict of Interest Office considering that the Council of Ministerschaired by Sánchez, made favorable decisions regarding a company that had ties of an economic and professional nature with the wife of President Pedro Sánchez. The complaint was filed.
The Provincial Court of Madrid also sees no evidence of criminality, which ordered Judge Peinado to remove the rescue of Air Europa from the case against Begoña Gómez, considering that there were no solid indications of influence peddling in that decision of the Government of Pedro Sánchez.
Aldama’s influence
However, now the summary of the Koldo case has brought to the surface the ins and outs of that public rescue, which show that the advisor to the former Minister of Transport José Luis ÁbalosKoldo García [que da nombre al caso] He organized the meetings that crystallized in the Government’s intervention.
The audios provided by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard to the summary instructed by the judge of the National Court Ismael Moreno show that while Koldo closed those meetings between Javier Hidalgo, CEO of Air Europa, Minister Ábalos and a director of the SEPI to discuss the issue of the rescue, on the other hand, he was informing Víctor de Aldama of all this [en la actualidad, en prisión provisional]who was the airline’s representative before the Government and was the one who paid Koldo while at the same time acting as an advisor to Ábalos.
Investigators consider that Aldama “used his relationship with Koldo and Ábalos—the UCO considers both as a single party in the plot—to influence the final granting of the ransom to Air Europa.” In fact, Koldo was on Aldama’s salary while the negotiation lasted: 10,000 euros per month, it appears in the summary.
“Either fix this or it’s all over”
The audios reveal Aldama’s influence in the Ministry of Transportation, through Koldo.
For example, in one of the conversations between Javier Hidalgo and Aldama, the first informs him that Koldo has called him to inform him that he has called several meetings with Minister Ábalos, with Pedro Saura, then Secretary of State for Transport, and with Luis Bartolomé, director of the SEPI.
Aldama’s response shows the pressure he exerted on Koldo to expedite the meetings with the SEPI in order to approve the rescue.
“Yes, I imagine he called you because I called him and I shit his fucking mother, because it’s enough that they make fun of us. Maybe you’re making yourself look bad with your father, with your family, with everyone, and at the same time with you because I look like an idiot telling you the antics that they tell me and I’m already fed up. I’ve already told him to fix this or it’s all over,” Aldama replied in reference to Koldo García.
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