The President of the Council of State and former socialist minister, Carmen Calvo, has lamented that a "corruptor" like businessman Víctor de Aldama has come to be considered an "ethical model" by some sectors. At the same time, she has expressed her "pain" over the conviction of José Luis Ábalos and has called for "opening" a deep reflection to prevent such conduct from happening again in public administration.
In an interview on 'Las mañanas de RNE', reported by Europa Press, Calvo raised, after the Supreme Court ruling became known, what steps will be taken against corruption. "What controls, what institutional and legal formulas do we have?", she asked herself, emphasizing that she is concerned that "the person who has corrupted" can "practically turn into an ethical reference for our lives".
Regarding Aldama's figure, she pointed out that "I don't think it's a way out for a country that needs to seriously focus on this issue." Therefore, she has once again called for "making legal decisions" and establishing "more than sufficient controls," in addition to banishing "customs and behaviors" that she considers unacceptable. In her opinion, "in a democracy like ours, the fact that a minister is in jail must make us all think. What should be done to avoid it?", she reiterated.
The former minister acknowledged that the sentence against Ábalos, with whom she shared a cabinet in the first Legislature of President Pedro Sánchez, affects her "particularly" because she has been part of the progressive project and the acronyms that represent her political convictions. She considers that these types of actions "crush the honest work" of many people dedicated to public life.
Calvo also warned that "and these general climates make many people feel distrustful of their system," which is why she defended that "the ethical message" that must be drawn from a judicial resolution like the "mask case" is that "we must all collaborate to ensure there are neither corrupt nor corruptors."