Spain's ex-transport minister sentenced to 24 years for corruption
Corruption Scandal and Sentencing Details
By Emma Pinedo and David Latona
MADRID, June 22 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's former transport minister, Jose Luis Abalos, was sentenced on Monday to 24 years in prison for a slew of offences involving corruption, the first verdict in a series of court cases linked to the ruling Socialist Party.
Supreme Court Verdict and Public Trust
The unusually long sentence reflected the accumulation of felonies committed, including kickbacks from facemask purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the damage to public trust caused by a minister of Abalos' rank breaching the rules, according to the Supreme Court's verdict.
Impact on Institutional Legitimacy
"A society that perceives that those in positions of power act guided by private interests, or interests unrelated to public service... experiences a loss of institutional legitimacy, which compromises the stability of the system itself," the verdict read.
Legal Limits on Prison Time
Nevertheless, the effective time Abalos will serve is capped under Spanish law at around 16-1/2 years, the court said.
Wider Political Implications
The sentence comes as more than a dozen people close to the prime minister are being investigated or tried for corruption, including his wife and brother and an influential former Socialist premier.
To date, none of the cases has named Sanchez, who came to power eight years ago by ousting a corruption-plagued centre-right government on the promise of cleaning up politics.
Government Response
Asked about the sentence, a government official said the government believed in "transparency, merit, and integrity" and "regrets and unequivocally condemns behaviour that has clearly violated those principles."
Public and Political Reaction
Renewed Call for Elections
RENEWED CALL FOR ELECTIONS
Public concern over corruption is far below what it was 10 years ago, but polls show it is moving upwards in voters' classification of the country's top problems, said Luis Cornago-Bonal, a political scientist at the London School of Economics and advisor at consultancy Teneo.
"With allegations now hanging over the government and the opposition, the risk is that Spain drifts into a prolonged phase of public discontent and deeper polarization," he added.
Opposition Demands and Government Stance
Monday's ruling renewed calls from the opposition for Sanchez to step down and call an election, an option the government has ruled out taking before its term ends in August 2027.
The opposition does not at present have the support for a no-confidence motion.
"The prime minister of the government is responsible for the actions of his ministers," Alberto Feijoo, leader of the conservative Partido Popular, said in a statement from his party's Madrid headquarters.
Details of the Corruption Case
Facemask Contract and Key Figures
In its verdict, Spain's Supreme Court found evidence of corruption in the awarding of a contract for 13 million facemasks to a companies linked to businessman Victor de Aldama.
De Aldama pled guilty over the channeling of illicit commissions and received a suspended 4-1/2-year sentence.
Financial Transactions and Associates
The court also uncovered monthly payments of €10,000 ($11,434) to Abalos for "fixed expenses" and the hiring of two of his associates in public companies, one of whom had their housing costs covered.
($1 = 0.8746 euros)
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo and David Latona, Writing by Emma Pinedo and Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Andrei Khalip, Jan Harvey, Aidan Lewis)
