Spain's Supreme Court sentences former minister Ábalos to 24 years in mask contract corruption case

The verdict

The Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years and three months in prison for organisation criminal, bribery, influence peddling and embezzlement linked to mask contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic. His former advisor Koldo García received 19 years and eight months. Businessman Víctor de Aldama, the third defendant, was given four and a half years but will not serve time after cooperating fully with prosecutors.

The court described a criminal organisation that used Ábalos's ministerial position to steer public contracts in exchange for kickbacks. The ruling was unanimous, with no dissenting votes.

“It was a shock, a very hard blow. We did not expect a sentence like this.”

Ábalos's lawyer, Marino Turiel, called the penalties "disproportionate" and said the defence had faced procedural obstacles, including limited preparation time.

Reactions from the Socialist Party

The conviction has exposed divisions within the ruling PSOE. Former deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo, now president of the Council of State, said the case caused her "particular pain" and demanded a review of institutional controls.

“That a minister is in prison should make absolutely all of us think.”

Calvo also criticised the public role of Aldama, saying the man who "corrupted" should not become "practically an ethical reference".

Former Andalusian president Susana Díaz focused on Aldama's financial penalty, questioning why he was not ordered to return the full commission. "That is what sounds worst socially," she said on Antena 3.

Prison timeline

Ábalos and García have been in pre-trial detention at Madrid V prison in Soto del Real since 27 November 2025. With time already served deducted, Ábalos's effective maximum is 16 and a half years, meaning he would not be released before 27 May 2042. He becomes eligible for prison leave in January 2030 and for parole in January 2038. García's maximum is 15 years, with release no later than November 2040 and leave possible from late August 2029.

Political fallout

The sentence has reignited calls for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign. Television host Ana Rosa Quintana read from the ruling that the use of public office for personal gain "causes a loss of institutional legitimacy" and said that alone should prompt Sánchez to step down. She labelled the verdict "the condemnation of 'sanchismo'."

Radio journalist Carlos Alsina criticised the PSOE for not distancing itself clearly from Ábalos and for trying to discredit the Supreme Court by focusing on Aldama. He recalled Ábalos's own 2018 speech in Congress, when the then-minister said Spaniards "cannot tolerate corruption or indecency as if it were normal."

Appeals and further cases

Turiel announced that Ábalos will first file an annulment motion, then appeal to the Constitutional Court and, if necessary, to European courts. Meanwhile, Aldama urged Ábalos to cooperate on other open investigations, including the Plus Ultra airline rescue and alleged illegal party financing. Aldama claimed Ábalos was "coerced by Mr Zapatero, under the orders of Pedro Sánchez" and warned that the prime minister should worry about "going to prison" rather than resigning.