Former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos has found himself at the center of a high-profile investigation. In the Supreme Court, he is trying to prove that his requests to former adviser Koldo García for ‘folio’ were not coded references to money. According to Ábalos, he was referring exclusively to printer paper, which he often used for printing documents.
The former minister’s lawyer insists that the habit of printing large volumes of documents is typical for those unaccustomed to digital technologies. To support this, the defense has requested official data from the Ministry of Transport about the amount of paper given to the minister from 2018 to 2021. They believe this evidence should dispel suspicions that code words were used to transfer money.
The case files include a report from the Guardia Civil highlighting suspicious correspondence between Ábalos and his adviser. Investigators noted that the ‘folio’ was reportedly delivered in boxes to the minister’s official residence, then ended up in his office. The defense argues that even now, as a member of parliament, Ábalos continues to print numerous documents, and folders related to printing copies were found on the confiscated USB drive.
Mask contracts and new questions for investigators
The court is also focused on the procurement of masks during the peak of the pandemic. Investigators are reviewing contracts made by the Ministry of Transport with the company Soluciones de Gestión. There are suspicions about potential kickbacks received in these deals. The defense is demanding that all documents related to the supplies be presented to the court, as well as clarification over who had access to the warehouses where the masks were stored. Of particular interest is whether there were any unauthorized removals of supplies by security guards not affiliated with the ministry.
To clarify the circumstances, Ábalos’s lawyer is requesting that several members of the Civil Guard be questioned, including a captain who communicated with an informant about Koldo García and other key figures in the case. The ministry driver is also expected to testify to determine who removed the boxes of masks and how they were transported.
Return of seized property and the right to defense
Another important issue is the request to return the external hard drive seized from Koldo García after Ábalos’s dismissal. According to the defense, the device contains personal photos and materials unrelated to the investigation. The lawyer insists that the seizure of equipment should only be temporary, and that it would be sufficient to make a copy of the files for analysis.
This entire story has become one of the most talked-about topics in Spanish politics in recent years. The court must determine whether it was truly just about printing paper or if the innocent term actually concealed financial schemes. The answers to these questions could affect not only Abalos’s fate, but also perceptions of transparency within government institutions.
