The Civil Guard has arrested Koldo García Izaguirre in Alicante, who was an advisor to former Minister José Luis Ábalos at the head of the Transport portfolio, for a case of alleged corruption in the purchase of masks during the covid-19 pandemic, in a investigation led by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the judge of the National Court Ismael Moreno.
As reported by El Confidencial and sources from the investigation confirm to La Vanguardia, the arrest was carried out by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard for the alleged connection with the collection of bribes in the allocation of masks in the worst months. of the pandemic.
In addition to Ábalos’ former advisor, among those detained is also Víctor de Aldama, president of the C.F. Zamora, and who, according to investigators, would have done business with Koldo García. According to investigation sources, the origin of the cause is a complaint, filed more than two years ago.
Since then, investigators have pulled the strings until they have detected García Izaguirre’s participation in the granting of irregular awards and his subsequent money laundering with the money received.
These same sources explain that Ábalos’ former advisor would have rigged ADIF contracts at the time when he was a director of the public company.
According to information from Anticorruption, the operation took place in different provinces throughout Spain. The interventions are part of an investigation linked to alleged criminal acts associated with criminal organization crimes, influence peddling and bribery, related to the awarding of different contracts from various administrations.
In this context, around 26 home searches/requests have been carried out and 20 arrests have been made. The proceedings containing the proceedings remain secret.
The aforementioned sources specify that this is an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and that secrecy has been decreed regarding the actions that affect Koldo García Izaguirre, whom Ábalos appointed as a director of Renfe Mercancías during his time at the head of the Ministry of Transport in the Government of Pedro Sánchez and as Secretary of Organization of the PSOE.
In 2020, when asked by the PP, Ábalos already had to give explanations in Congress about the role of his advisor Koldo García, in this case regarding the meeting in Venezuela with the vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez.
