José Luis Ábalos

On 27 November 2025, the Supreme Court remanded Ábalos and Koldo García in custody, citing flight risk. The appellate chamber upheld the measure on 19 January 2026. Pretrial custody was a preventive measure, not a finding of guilt in its own right.

State of the evidence

Custody rulings reported by Spanish public broadcasting.

Legal status — source text

Criminal conviction remains applicable to the specified offences.

Attribution

Pretrial precautionary measures in the masks prosecution.

On 22 June 2026, the Supreme Court sentenced José Luis Ábalos to 24 years and three months over mask contracts, finding criminal organization, bribery, misappropriation and influence-peddling offences. Koldo García and Víctor de Aldama were also convicted. The ruling included findings on appointments and benefits associated with the network.

State of the evidence

Supreme Court conviction explicitly reported and upheld in October.

Legal status — source text

Criminal conviction remains applicable to the specified offences.

Attribution

Criminal offences established in the masks and benefits case.

The Supreme Court rejected the motion to annul the conviction, exhausting the ordinary judicial route in Spain. Ábalos announced plans to seek constitutional relief, alleging violations of fundamental rights.

State of the evidence

14 October ruling verified; constitutional complaint announced but filing not confirmed.

Legal status — source text

Criminal conviction remains applicable to the specified offences.

Attribution

Challenge to and maintenance of the masks-case conviction.

Following revelations of the Koldo affair, prosecutors investigated Ábalos, his former adviser Koldo García and businessman Víctor de Aldama. In December 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the decision advancing the masks case toward trial. The matter ended in a criminal conviction in June 2026.

State of the evidence

Court process documented; final judgment confirmed in October 2026.

Legal status — source text

Criminal conviction remains applicable to the specified offences.

Attribution

Alleged participation in improper contracts and secret payments, later adjudicated.

Two women close to Ábalos, including Jéssica Rodríguez, were hired by state-owned transport-sector companies. The Supreme Court found in 2026 that the appointments were improperly facilitated and that some salaries were paid without actual work. These findings formed part of the same judgment as the mask-contract case.

State of the evidence

Appointments and salary findings confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Legal status — source text

Criminal conviction remains applicable to the specified offences.

Attribution

Favoritism and public-sector jobs without corresponding work.

Mask procurement contracts during the pandemic were awarded to Soluciones de Gestión by agencies under Ábalos’s ministry. In 2026, Spain’s Supreme Court found corrupt conduct and an organization profiting from these awards.

State of the evidence

Contracts documented and criminal liability established in a 2026 Supreme Court judgment.

Legal status — source text

Criminal conviction remains applicable to the specified offences.

Attribution

Criminal organization, bribery and misuse of public money in mask procurement.

Course of the proceedings

1. 10.12.2025 Formally charged — Pretrial charges confirmed in the mask-procurement case.