Sánchez’s key ally to remain a quarter of a century in prison.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez continues to see his party, his key allies, and even his family ensnared in corruption investigations and prosecutions.
Sánchez’s former transport minister, Jose Luis Abalos, has been sentenced today (22) to 24 years in prison for a slew of offenses involving crimes of criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement, and influence peddling.
This is the first verdict in a series of court cases linked to the ruling Socialist Party.
Reuters reported:
“The unusually long sentence reflected the accumulation of felonies committed, including kickbacks from facemask purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the damage to public trust caused by a minister of Abalos’ rank breaching the rules, according to the Supreme Court’s verdict.
‘A society that perceives that those in positions of power act guided by private interests, or interests unrelated to public service… experiences a loss of institutional legitimacy, which compromises the stability of the system itself’, the verdict read.”
“The sentence comes as more than a dozen people close to the prime minister are being investigated or tried for corruption, including his wife and brother and an influential former Socialist premier.
To date, none of the cases has named Sanchez, who came to power eight years ago by ousting a corruption-plagued center-right government on the promise of cleaning up politics.”
Euronews reported:
“The ruling, unanimously adopted by a seven-judge panel, found that the three men formed a criminal organization with clearly defined roles aimed at obtaining financial benefits through corrupt practices. Abalos and García were convicted of offences including participation in a criminal organization, bribery, embezzlement of public funds and influence peddling.
According to the judgment, the scheme played a role in the awarding of contracts for the supply of 13 million face masks to Spain’s state-owned entities Puertos del Estado and railway infrastructure operator Adif through a company linked to Aldama during the most critical stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court found that Abalos received a series of benefits in exchange for promoting business interests. These included a monthly payment of €10,000 for what were described as his ‘fixed expenses’, the payment of housing costs for a person in his inner circle and the hiring of two women linked to the former minister at public companies overseen by the Transport Ministry.”
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The post SPANISH SOCIALIST TAKEDOWN: PM Sánchez’s Former Transport Minister Abalos Sentenced to 24-Year Prison Sentence for Corruption appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.