Both Koldo García and the president of Zamora must appear before the court periodically
MADRID, 22 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The judge of the National Court Ismael Moreno, who is investigating the alleged bites in the purchase of masks, has agreed to the release of Koldo García, the advisor of former minister José Luis Ábalos, his brother Joseba, the president of Zamora, Víctor de Aldama , and the Basque businessman Íñigo Rotaetxe.
Legal sources have confirmed to Europa Press that the head of the Central Investigative Court Number 2 has agreed to release them after the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has not requested prison for any of them.
However, the magistrate has agreed that both Ábalos’ former advisor and De Aldama must appear in court periodically at the request of the Public Ministry.
The agents placed at the disposal of the magistrate four of the 14 detained for alleged bribes in contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic whose material was destined for the Ministries of Transport and Interior, as well as autonomous communities (CCAA) such as the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
It is worth remembering that this Wednesday Civil Guard agents took a witness statement from the Secretary of State for Security and Fernando Grande-Marlaska’s ‘number two’ in the Ministry of the Interior, Rafael Pérez, in relation to the investigation into the alleged bites.
The statement also affected his right-hand man, José Antonio Rodríguez, the director of the Coordination and Studies Cabinet, for the 3.4 million euro contract awarded to the key company in the alleged fraud in the purchase of masks.
Sources from the Ministry of the Interior reacted to the information by pointing out that “they do not comment on a judicial procedure opened in the National Court and which is of a secret nature.”
The investigation, directed by the National Court and in which the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard participate, has led since Tuesday to the arrest of 14 people, as part of investigation proceedings for the crimes of criminal organization, influence peddling and bribery that affect 20 people.
These arrests carried out by the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO) in different provinces of Spain have been accompanied by around 26 home searches. The sources consulted indicate that they have continued until 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday and that, in some of these searches, the agents have found empty safes.
The judicial investigation for which Koldo García Izaguirre, who was an advisor to former socialist minister José Luis Ábalos, has been arrested, investigates alleged bribery in contracts during the Covid-19 pandemic whose material was destined for the Ministries of Transport and Interior, as well as communities. autonomous regions (CCAA) such as the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, as sources from the investigation have informed Europa Press.
These sources indicate that the amount of the contracts of these public administrations exceeds 50 million euros, according to the researchers’ estimate.
In the case of the Ministry of the Interior, it was Rafael Pérez who signed the award of protective material for Interior personnel to the company Soluciones de Gestión y Apoyo a la Empresa for a value of 3,479,355 euros. These contracts had been previously requested by the researchers, as explained by the aforementioned media, and were processed through the negotiated procedure without publicity and on an emergency basis.
In this context, the Civil Guard also requested documentation from the Ministry of Transport within the framework of the investigation into the alleged bites, according to sources in the investigation informed Europa Press.
In any case, the sources consulted by Europa Press assert that the operation remains open and that therefore it cannot be ruled out that in the coming hours more arrests will take place in the framework of this case that remains secret.
