Former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos has been jailed for 24 years and three months over kickbacks, the first conviction in a series of corruption cases involving the ruling Socialist Party, which is led by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Ábalos, 66, was convicted by the Spanish Supreme Court of criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, and influence peddling, linked to public contracts for medical supplies, such as face masks, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court also sentenced his aide, Koldo Garcia, to 19 years, eight months, and one day in prison.
A businessman, Victor de Aldama, was given a suspended sentence.
Sánchez came to power in 2018, when his Socialist Party promised to clean up politics after a series of corruption scandals involving the government of his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, leader of the conservative People’s Party (PP).
Call for Sánchez to Resign
On June 22, PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called for Sánchez to step down as prime minister and call an election, in the wake of Ábalos’s conviction.
“The prime minister of the government is responsible for the actions of his ministers,” Feijóo said.
But Feijóo said he would not call a vote of no confidence, according to media outlet El Diario
Spain is due to hold a general election in the next 12 months, and the Socialist Party (PSOE) is trailing PP in the polls, with the right-wing Vox party also gaining ground.
Aldama—whose company, Soluciones de Gestión, was granted the contract for 13 million face masks—was given a suspended sentence of 4 1/2 years, in recognition of his cooperation with the authorities.
His prison sentence will be triggered if he reoffends or does not submit biannual activity reports. Aldama must also serve 12 months of community service.
A statement on the Spanish judiciary’s website said that two companies, Puertos del Estado (State Ports) and ADIF—which were run by the transport ministry—bought 13 million masks from Aldama’s company.
In return, it stated, Ábalos was paid 10,000 euros ($11,434) for “fixed expenses,” and two of his female friends were given jobs, with one also receiving an apartment.
The bribes included Aldama leasing him homes in Marbella and La Línea de la Concepción, a town near Gibraltar.
Corruption Undermines ‘Democratic Architecture’
“The court highlights the serious deterioration of public trust in the political system caused by corruption, which undermines the democratic architecture of the state,” the court statement concluded.Almost 120,000 people died of COVID-19 in Spain during the pandemic, and 13 million people in the country contracted the virus, out of a total population of 50 million.
It stated that the search was confined to an investigation into allegations against Socialist Party member Leire Díez.
Diez, who has left the party, has denied any wrongdoing, while the party stated that her actions were of her own volition.
In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose trade tariffs on Spain over defense spending.
Spain became the only member of NATO to refuse to meet the alliance’s target of spending 5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense at the bloc’s summit in The Hague in June 2025.
In April, Trump said he was considering withdrawing U.S. troops from Spain and Italy, citing their lack of support throughout the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran.
