The former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos has conveyed to the Supreme Court, from the Madrid prison of Soto del Real, where he has been held for almost a year, that he plans to request "the installment payment" of the fines and compensation imposed by the high court in the so-called 'mask case'.
As stated in a notification proceeding to which Europa Press has had access, when he was formally informed of the request for payment, the former minister indicated that he would "submit arguments" and that he would request the "installment payment" both for the fine and for the amounts set as compensation for civil liability, which the Supreme Court established along with a sentence of 24 years in prison in its ruling.
The high court’s ruling set for Ábalos a fine of 52,500 euros, the forfeiture of 430,298 euros as joint and several liability with the other two convicted individuals —his former advisor Koldo García and the businessman and intermediary Víctor de Aldama—, as well as a joint compensation with Koldo of 34,450 and 9,500.54 euros in favor of Ineco and Tragsatec, respectively.
From prison, Ábalos indicated in advance that he would file arguments after the Supreme Court activated, in late October, the execution phase of the sentence and granted 15 days to the convicted individuals to pay the amounts. In that same brief, the court likewise granted a period of two weeks to the parties to submit their written arguments.
The notification proceeding addressed to the former minister is dated November 6, the same day on which notice was given to Koldo García, who, upon receiving the request, stated: "He consults with his lawyer." This date is prior to the brief that his then lawyer, Leticia de la Hoz, sent this Tuesday to the National Court, informing it of her resignation from continuing to act in the defense of the former advisor.
As for Aldama, he has stated that he is given as "informed and in agreement" with the decision and has ratified his willingness to serve one year of work for the benefit of the community.
Aldama’s periodic payments and the use of the homes
The ruling detailed the origin of the amounts seized, breaking down "340,000 euros --10,000 euros per month for 34 months by Aldama--, 82,295 euros --rent from the rental of the property located on Plaza de España--, and 8,000 euros --rent for the rental of the chalet in Marbella/Villa Parra--", in reference to the regular payments that the businessman made to the former minister and his former adviser, as well as the rented homes for Ábalos’s ex-partner, Jéssica Rodríguez, in central Madrid, and the one he enjoyed in Málaga.
The magistrates also ordered Ábalos and Koldo to indemnify "jointly and severally" Ineco and Tragsatec with 34,450 and 9,500.54 euros, respectively, in concept of civil liability, since they were the companies into which Jéssica Rodríguez was placed and from which she received salaries without performing any function.
To meet these financial obligations, the Supreme Court granted a period of two weeks, after which "enforcement proceedings will be carried out in the case of fines and indemnities".
In addition, the court agreed to carry out "the corresponding liquidation of the sentence of the prison terms" imposed on the former minister and his former adviser, recalling the maximum limit of compliance set in the ruling: 16 and a half years for Ábalos and 15 years for Koldo.
Ábalos and Koldo were sentenced for crimes of criminal organization, bribery, influence peddling, and embezzlement. For his part, Aldama received a four-year prison sentence for criminal organization and bribery, although he avoided entering prison due to the cooperation provided to the justice system.