Spain's Corruption Sentence

In its findings, the Supreme Court tied the alleged kickback network to specific financial benefits for Ábalos, including a reported monthly payment of “€10,000” for Ábalos’s “fixed expenses,” and the supply of “13 million face masks” to a company linked to Víctor de Aldama.

The court also described patronage and benefits extending beyond the contracts themselves: it referenced the hiring of two women with ties to Ábalos for jobs in public companies, and said one had her apartment payments covered by the criminal association, which prosecutors described as also active in real estate in Madrid and Marbella.

The Russian-language outlet reported that the 24-year sentence is the longest ever imposed on a former Spanish minister since the restoration of democracy, and said the court emphasized that the damage went beyond quantifiable financial loss to the erosion of citizens’ expectations in public servants.

Another reported detail not in the summary: prosecutors and the ruling framed the scheme as including membership in a criminal organization plus bribery, influence peddling, embezzlement—and “misuse of privileged information,” while also noting Ábalos was expelled from the PSOE and, after being remanded in custody in November 2025, was suspended as an MP after refusing to give up his seat.