Pressure mounts on Spain's PM after former minister convicted of corruption

Spain's Supreme Court on Monday convicted former transport minister José Luis Ábalos of corruption and sentenced him to 24 years in prison. The court found that Ábalos rigged public contracts for face masks and other medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic in exchange for kickbacks. He was found guilty of bribery, embezzlement, influence peddling, and membership in a criminal organization. His former adviser Koldo García received a 19-year sentence for his role in the scheme.

Businessman Victor de Aldama, who cooperated with prosecutors and provided key documents detailing the corruption scheme, received a suspended four-and-a-half-year prison sentence and a €3.7 million fine. He alleged that some of the embezzled profits were funneled to the Socialist Party but failed to provide evidence.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente criticized the court's leniency toward Aldama, writing on X: "See, kids? If you commit crimes but then behave and 'cooperate,' forgiveness will come through. You won't even go to prison."

The ruling increases pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who appointed Ábalos to top positions in both the ruling Socialist Party and his first two governments. Sánchez is struggling to distance himself from a series of corruption cases involving close political allies, relatives, and other members of his inner circle.

Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of the center-right People's Party, demanded Sánchez's resignation, stating that "the prime minister is politically responsible for the corruption of his ministers in office." However, Feijóo said he would not call for a no-confidence vote in parliament, as it is unlikely to secure a majority. Sánchez has vowed to govern until 2027.

Parliamentary allies, such as Gabriel Rufián of the Republican Left of Catalonia, questioned whether it made sense for Sánchez to hold on to power when his party is increasingly associated with corruption. "What is the point of resisting for the sake of resisting?" Rufián wrote on X. "Governing is legislating, not resisting."

Sánchez once considered Ábalos one of his closest allies. After the Socialist Party's old guard forced Sánchez to step down in 2016, Ábalos remained a firm supporter and accompanied him on a grassroots campaign to regain control of the party. When Sánchez was reelected party leader the following year, Ábalos was promoted to a senior party role and tasked with delivering a key anti-corruption speech that capped the successful no-confidence vote to oust then-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in 2018. After returning to office, Sánchez gave Ábalos the development and transport portfolio, overseeing many of the country's most lucrative public contracts.

According to the court ruling, Ábalos embezzled funds to lease or purchase several properties and cover personal expenses while in office. Sánchez has tried to distance himself from Ábalos since 2021, when the former minister stepped down from his government and party roles. After Ábalos was placed in pretrial detention earlier this year, Sánchez stated that while he once had "political confidence" in his former ally, "from a personal standpoint, he was a complete stranger to me."

These statements have done little to reduce the perception of corruption within the ruling party and Sánchez's inner circle, especially after last month's indictment of former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero — another Sánchez ally — on money laundering, influence peddling, and other charges, and a recent raid on the party's headquarters in a separate fraud investigation. Zapatero denied wrongdoing and promised to provide explanations to prove his "decency and honesty."

Monday's ruling concludes the first part of a larger case involving Ábalos and García. Spain's National Court is handling separate proceedings regarding the alleged rigging of public works contracts in exchange for kickbacks, involving another former top Socialist official, Santos Cerdán.

In a statement, the prime minister's office said the government "unequivocally regrets and condemns behaviors that have clearly violated these principles" and remains "committed to continuing to work to build an exemplary Spain in which corruption is neither applauded nor tolerated."