Ábalos' first lawyer tells court Leire Díez offered to pay ex-minister's defence fees through a shell company

The testimony

José Aníbal Álvarez, the first lawyer to defend former transport minister José Luis Ábalos in the 'mask case', appeared as a witness at Spain's Audiencia Nacional on Monday. He confirmed to Judge Santiago Pedraz that Leire Díez, a former PSOE militant described in court documents as the party's 'plumber', offered to pay his professional fees through a company she had set up. Álvarez stated he refused the proposal because he considered it improper and feared it could land him "in trouble" in the future.

Thanks, but this is not acceptable.

The lawyer maintained that he insisted any payment should come directly from Ábalos or from a company linked to the ex-minister. He told the court that Ábalos never paid him, nor did the PSOE, and that he ultimately provided his defence services free of charge. Álvarez also denied that Díez coordinated Ábalos' defence strategy, contradicting an earlier Guardia Civil report.

The WhatsApp messages

Investigators from the Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) presented intercepted WhatsApp messages between Álvarez and Díez from November and December 2024. The exchanges show the lawyer repeatedly chasing an outstanding matter. On 7 November 2024 he wrote: "Good afternoon, have you spoken about the pending matter?" After receiving no reply, he sent follow-ups including "you're forgetting about me" and, on 11 December, "I'm working and honestly I see nothing at all, and to whom it may concern, I'm too old for messing around."

Taking into account the whole conversation between Díez and Álvarez, it can be inferred, indicatively, that in these messages Álvarez was referring to the delay or non-payment of fees for Ábalos' legal assistance.

When Díez eventually responded, she asked whether he had "a trusted firm through which the payment could be made" and indicated she had a company of her own. Álvarez replied that this was not what had been agreed and that "in these things there is no trust."

The 2024 meeting

Álvarez also disclosed that he arranged a meeting between Ábalos and Díez at his office before the summer of 2024, prior to formally taking on the ex-minister's defence in October 2024. He told the judge he was not present during the meeting and declined to ask what was discussed, citing discretion. Prosecutors pressed him to pinpoint the date, asking whether WhatsApp messages or his firm's secretarial records could corroborate it, but Álvarez was unable to specify.

The Kitchen connection

Beyond the payment allegations, Álvarez acknowledged organising two meetings between Díez and Francisco Martínez, the former secretary of state for security who is a defendant in the 'Kitchen operation'. That case concerns an alleged parapolice operation to steal information from former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas and obstruct the Gürtel investigation. Álvarez stated that Martínez sought a second opinion on his defence strategy and that he charged nothing for the advice, citing their personal relationship.

The wider investigation

Judge Pedraz is investigating an alleged network, reportedly led by former PSOE official Santos Cerdán and coordinated by Díez, aimed at sabotaging court cases damaging to the government and the PSOE. Ábalos was recently sentenced to 24 years in prison by the Supreme Court in the mask case and remains under investigation in other branches of the Koldo affair. The UCO report suggested Díez "could have managed the payment by the PSOE" of Álvarez's fees, but the lawyer denied receiving any party money.

Álvarez abandoned Ábalos' defence in October 2025. His successor, Carlos Bautista, also resigned in January 2026 because the ex-minister was not paying. Marino Turiel then took over the defence. The court calendar continues this week: on Tuesday, lawyer Leticia de la Hoz is due to appear as a defendant over an alleged bribery attempt, and on Wednesday and Thursday, prosecutors Diego Villafañe and Beatriz López are scheduled to testify.