Vicente Coll

Marta Belver Madrid

Madrid

Updated Thursday, February 29, 2024-09:37

  • Investigation The Civil Guard hunted down Ábalos as an "intermediary" in the plot just a month ago

The PSOE seeks to relativize and minimize the information revealed by EL MUNDO in the last few hours that suggests that José Luis Ábalos held meetings until just a month ago with his former ministerial advisor, Koldo García, one of the masterminds of the plot that The Civil Guard is investigating for alleged collection of illegal commissions in the purchase of masks during the worst months of the pandemic.

"Going to eat is not a crime," the socialist spokesperson in Congress, Patxi López, assessed this Thursday to downplay this meeting, which was detected by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) and appears in the case summary.


"He was his advisor until very recently. Let's not make too much of everything," said López, who has claimed not to have seen this information, at the same time that he has tried to involve the Popular Party in the controversy over the

Koldo case

: "Point out with the finger in such a malicious way... Better that they put their finger in the eye", he launched in the direction of the popular parliamentary spokesperson, Miguel Tellado, who appears as mentioned in the conversations of the plot as a possible link to arrange a meeting with the Balearic administration, but Tellado, consulted by this newspaper, denies having had any contact with Koldo.


"Now we are learning information regarding the Balearic Government. They come to clearly say how the Government of Francina [Armengol] did complain about those masks, and how it was the PP that allowed this fact to expire. And names appear that yesterday "They pointed the finger at us," López attacked Tellado in the halls of Congress.

Ábalos has been absent for the third consecutive day from the Plenary Session of Congress after moving to the Mixed Group on Tuesday, so he has not yet taken his new seat in the hemicycle's

henhouse

alongside the four Podemos deputies.

Pedro Sánchez, who turns 52 this Thursday, February 29, has no public agenda for today in which the budget stability objective is voted on in the Lower House.

For its part, the PP is going to urgently meet the committee to monitor the corruption plot that affects the PSOE to analyze the news reported by various media outlets, including

EL MUNDO

.

"It's very disgusting, everything ends up being known, let the President of the Government know," warned the party's spokesperson, Borja Sémper.

José Luis Ábalos was According to what this newspaper exclusively publishes today, Ábalos was aware of the Civil Guard's investigation into Koldo García, his former advisor, at least since last November.

This is stated in the reports of the

Central Operational Unit

(UCO) of the Civil Guard, which records at least one other meeting between the former Minister of Transport and whoever was his trusted man, this one much more recent, at the

La Chalana

seafood restaurant , which It belongs to one of the masterminds of the plot.