Spain's Supreme Court is hearing the first trial in the so-called 'Koldo case,' a wide-ranging corruption scandal centred on pandemic-era mask procurement contracts, with former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, his adviser Koldo García, and businessman Víctor de Aldama among those in the dock. Testimony this week placed Aldama inside the Ministry of Industry during the tenure of then-minister Reyes Maroto, with her former chief of staff confirming for the first time that Maroto agreed to meet the businessman to pursue a subsidy for a music producer — extending his alleged influence beyond the Transport Ministry where he had previously been placed by witnesses. The case, which centres on allegations of bribery, illicit contracts, and perks including a holiday villa and a Madrid apartment allegedly provided to Ábalos in exchange for political favours, is considered one of the most significant corruption trials in Spain in recent years.