He had a “direct and personal connection” with Koldo, for whom he would have “opened a couple of doors in Venezuela”
MADRID, 11 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Rubén Villalba, the Civil Guard agent stationed in Venezuela and who was arrested in the framework of the ‘Koldo case’, was carrying a total of 1,724 bills of different types for a total value of 4,835 dollars when he was surprised on March 3 at the Madrid-Barajas Airport.
This is clear from a report, to which Europa Press has had access, in which the Central Operational Unit (UCO) details that 43 $10 bills, 631 $5 bills, 200 $2 bills and up to 850 $1 bills were seized. value of 1 dollar. After being arrested, the agent – who is being investigated for bribery and criminal organization – refused to give a statement and asked that the facts be communicated to his superior at the Armed Institute.
The Civil Guard searched his home in Benamejí (Córdoba) one day after being arrested and the search, which lasted almost two hours, ended “without a priori any result of interest for this case.” Specifically, they only found 900 euros in banknotes inside a closet in one of the rooms and did not intervene.
The Armed Institute highlights the “direct, personal and permanent connection over time” of Villalba with Koldo García, former advisor to former Minister José Luis Ábalos and one of the main investigators of the alleged plot. The agents make it clear that “this relationship is of interest” “because ‘a priori’ Koldo would have been alerted to the existence of an investigation into his person by sources from the force.”
Furthermore, according to investigators, Koldo claimed that Villalba “would have opened a couple of doors for him in Venezuela”, the agent’s last destination before his arrest.
The report details that the agent “would have received recurring cash payments from” the alleged organizer of the plot, the president of Zamora C.F. Victor de Aldama. “In fact, messages have been located where (De Aldama) states that Rubén (Villalba) would receive 2,000 euros monthly,” he points out.
Along these lines, the agents point out that Villalba “would look after the interests of the environment” of De Aldama when he referred to him as “our people.” “Just like Koldo when he comments to Rubén: ‘You are ours,'” they add. Among other things, Villalba would have “provided” De Aldama “a secure line of communication.”
The Civil Guard found evidence about the payments he would have received after analyzing the telephone of those investigated. In May 2021, De Aldama, in a conversation with the also investigated Ignacio Díaz Tapia, alluded to a series of expenses under the concept “1000 R”. The agents maintain that ‘R’ would be none other than the detained agent himself.
Later, in November of that year, De Aldama told César Moreno – also accused – not to forget “to get the 3.6” he needed for “Piedad y R.” Two days later, the office explains, the agent “would have gone to the office” of De Aldama.
In a conversation in February 2022, De Aldama launched a petition to Moreno. “If you can do what I put on the boat, which is 1,500 and R for next week,” he requested, which led Moreno to ask about the amount. “What about R 2, what happens every month,” the businessman explained.
“Analyzing different WhatsApp conversations, it is confirmed that De Aldama and Rubén would have met on February 23, 2022, coinciding with the date on which De Aldama had prepared the 2,000 euros in cash for ‘R’,” the official letter explains.
The agents also draw attention to the fact that, that same month, Villalba would have carried out a “B” transaction for De Aldama, specifically sending cash to Koldo García.
