At the end of November, the ringleaders of the plot of alleged corruption in the sale of health equipment intensified their talks – which were being scrutinized by the Civil Guard – to try to resolve the claim of 2.6 million euros from the Government of the Balearic Islands to the front company that had sold defective masks. Between that exchange of calls, there was an appointment in the reservation of a seafood restaurant in Madrid “of special interest for the facts under investigation”, according to the judge of the National Court investigating the matter. The former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos and his former adviser, Koldo García, shared a table.
In that appointment, the problems of the framework with the Balearic Government – already in the hands of the Popular Party – were allegedly discussed. This is why the instructor Ismael Moreno places the ex-secretary of organization of the PSOE in the role of “intermediary”. A consideration that the former head of Transport called “fantasy”. “Not at all”, he answered in a television interview about the possibility of mediating with the Government of Marga Prohens (PP) to avoid the financial claim requested by the Administration. Ábalos continues to be brought before the Supreme Court due to his status as deputy – now in the Mixed Group -, so in order to conduct an investigation against him, the National Court would have to transfer the case. Something that, according to legal sources, Judge Ismael Moreno does not seem to be willing to do.
The Balearic derivative of the case began on April 25, 2020, with a mail offering 1.4 million masks, which arrived a day later, for a total price of 3.7 million euros . On June 8, a report from the National Center for Protective Equipment certified in a technical analysis that the masks did not meet the requirements of what is known as FPP2, so it was ordered to be withdrawn and stored in a center of the community The masks were never used and almost all have expired.
The first official report on the matter of the masks does not arrive until July 6, 2023, the same day that Prohens is elected president, therefore, the last day that Francina Armengol holds the position. The deputy director of the purchasing center proposes a resolution to claim the 2.6 million that was overpaid, since the masks cost 0.42 euros each and not 2.5 euros. This proposal is the one that allows the opening of a claim file for the amount, on August 24, 2023, which is signed by the new Government. From then on, pressure from the company began for the file to expire due to administrative silence. The Popular Party claims that there is an eight-month deadline; the PSOE, which are six.
And it is with the date of January 24 as the horizon for the deadline to expire when the plot moves to solve the matter. As the researchers suspect, on two sides: both with the popular and with the socialists, although they all deny it. This double game undertaken by the ex-advisor even baffles the alleged mastermind of the plot, Juan Carlos Cueto: “But… Does what you are going to do make sense? I ask… because if we make a false step…”, it is contained in a Civil Guard report to which La Vanguardia has had access.
Afraid that the scandal could spread to public opinion, in another call at the end of November the businessman Iñigo Rotaeche asked Cueto if he wanted to “politicize the Balearic Islands”, and the presumed leader replied: “No I know, Iñigo, […] everyone is on wafers, but it doesn’t take them anywhere either… the problem is the lady (by Francina Armengol), who is now in the spotlight”.
It is at this point that the case seemed to take a turn yesterday after it became known that Koldo García bragged to Cueto during a call that he had managed to contact Miguel Tellado, spokesperson of the Popular Party in the Congress of Deputies, and “Alberto” [without the researchers daring to give a surname] to stay the next day. The management of Génova rejected out of hand that that meeting would take place. So far, no part of the summary testifying to this alleged appointment has been published, despite the close monitoring carried out by the UCO on Koldo García.
A few days later, García called Cueto to tell him that “everything is going well” while asking him to be as discreet as possible with the matter because it would move his strings. Seven days later, on December 14, Ábalos’ former escort informs him that the matter in the file “is more than done”.
The investigators suspect that the plot believed it had solved the problem, since before the deadline the Civil Guard stopped finding communications that addressed the matter. Despite all this, the Executive of Marga insisted that the file was still valid and announced a claim through the criminal process.
