Spain’s Supreme Court Sentences Former Minister to 24 Years in Landmark Pandemic Graft Case

The Spanish Supreme Court convicted former minister José Luis Ábalos, his advisor Koldo García, and businessman Víctor de Aldama in the 'Masks case'—a corruption scheme involving systemic kickbacks and rigged public contracts for face masks and medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic; Ábalos received a 24-year, three-month sentence (with a legal cap on time served), García 19 years and eight months, and Aldama 4.5 years (execution suspended due to cooperation), with the ruling describing payments, preferential contract handling, and personal benefits such as financed rent and a below-market purchase option.