Politics · Spain · 16 hrs ago
Spain’s Supreme Court upholds Ábalos and Koldo García’s prison sentences
Spain’s Supreme Court rejected bids by José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García to annul their convictions.
Ábalos, a former transport minister, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, while his former aide García received 19 years.
The court’s decision upholds those sentences and ends the ordinary appeals process.
The convictions were handed down in June in a case involving mask contracts during the Covid pandemic.
The court found that Ábalos, García and businessman Víctor de Aldama formed a criminal group involved in corruption offences.
Ábalos and García can now ask Spain’s Constitutional Court to overturn their convictions, arguing that their rights were violated.
The Constitutional Court’s decision is not stated.
Spain’s Supreme Court has rejected José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García’s requests to annul their prison sentences, leaving the convictions in place.
The ruling clears the way for both men to seek relief from Spain’s Constitutional Court.
The sentences were imposed in the masks case, in which the men were convicted of corruption-related offences.
The reports differ on García’s sentence: 20minutos says 19 years and six months, while El Mundo and El País say 19 years.
- Who
- Spain’s Supreme Court, José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García.
- What
- The court rejected their requests to annul their convictions and prison sentences.
- When
- 14 October 2026. The court’s order was dated 7 October.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- The court said the arguments had already been addressed and that a nullity request is not a way to express disagreement with the ruling.
Ábalos and Koldo García
Spain’s Supreme Court
Basis for challenging the convictions
Ábalos and Koldo García
They argued that their rights had been violated and sought to have the convictions annulled.
Spain’s Supreme Court
The court rejected their requests, saying the arguments had already been examined.
Access to evidence
Ábalos and Koldo García
Ábalos argued that he had not had full access to digital evidence and raised concerns about its handling.
Spain’s Supreme Court
The court said there had been no deprivation of his rights and considered the seizure of the devices appropriate.
Ábalos and García were sentenced in the masks case.
The Supreme Court dated its order rejecting the requests to annul the convictions.
Reports said the Supreme Court had rejected the requests and cleared the way for appeals to the Constitutional Court.
- Ábalos’s sentence
- 24 years in prison
- García’s sentence
- 19 years, according to El Mundo and El País; 19 years and six months, according to 20minutos
- Court
- Spain’s Supreme Court
- Next legal route
- Appeal for relief to the Constitutional Court
3 sources
El Supremo confirma la condena de Ábalos y Koldo García y despeja el camino para que vayan al Constitucional
El Supremo rechaza anular las condenas de Ábalos y Koldo García, que podrán pedir amparo al Constitucional
El Tribunal Supremo ratifica la condena a Ábalos y Koldo y despeja la vía de acudir al TC
What people are saying
Todas y cada una de las alegaciones formuladas ya han sido objeto de un análisis detallado, particularmente, en la sentencia cuya nulidad se insta.
el incidente de nulidad no es un vehículo para poner de manifiesto la discrepancia frente a la resolución recurrida