Koldo García, former advisor to the ex-minister José Luis Ábalos, defended in his statement before the Supreme Court that he paid the rent for the home of a partner of the ex-minister in the Plaza de España in Madrid “out of friendship”. During the session, held last December 17, Judge Leopoldo Puente questioned the lack of clear explanations about these payments, which also included travel tickets.
“I suppose it will not be common for an advisor to pay the rents of the minister’s apartment, but the apartment of his sentimental relationship is rarer,” replied the judge, to which Koldo responded that he “got along very well” with the woman and that he helped her because of her economic situation.
Friendship and public procurement
The former advisor also admitted that the woman was hired as an administrative assistant in the public company INECO, under the Ministry of Transport, because of his friendship with her. According to Koldo, someone “trustworthy” was needed to manage administrative matters related to his brother, although he denied having influenced another position he got in TRAGSATEC.
Contracts and ministerial relations
Koldo denied any involvement in alleged illegalities related to contracts during the pandemic, assuring that decisions such as the doubling of spending on masks in one hour fell on technicians and other Ministry officials. In addition, he acknowledged that the businessman Víctor de Aldama, investigated in the case, frequently visited the Ministry and even Ábalos’ house. On the other hand, he justified his use of encrypted telephones, provided by the Guardia Civil, due to his collaboration with the anti-terrorist unit, even during his time as an advisor. The case, which is still under investigation, analyzes possible irregularities in hiring and misuse of public resources.
