Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for his role in a wide-ranging corruption scheme involving public contracts for sanitary equipment, including face masks, during the Covid-19 pandemic. His ministerial aide, Koldo García, received a 19-year sentence, while businessman Víctor de Aldama was handed a four-and-a-half-year term that was suspended in recognition of his cooperation with investigators. The ruling marks the first major conviction in a series of corruption cases connected to figures close to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

A panel of seven judges found Ábalos and García guilty of membership in a criminal organisation, bribery, misuse of public funds, money laundering, and influence peddling. The court stated that