The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) is weighing legal action following explosive allegations from Koldo García, the former advisor to ex-minister José Luis Ábalos, who claims a lawyer representing the People’s Party (PP) offered him up to one million euros to provide false testimony against President Pedro Sánchez and his family.
The accusations, first reported by eldiario.es, suggest a sophisticated attempt to influence judicial proceedings by promising Koldo García significant financial rewards and legal immunity for his brother, Joseba García, and his partner, Patricia Uriz.
Koldo García alleges a million-euro bribery attempt to influence judicial statements
Koldo García’s claims center on two meetings held in a law office during the height of the “mask scandal” investigation. According to García, the proposal involved paying for his legal defense and providing an additional sum to ensure his statements would damage the President and Begoña Gómez. The primary evidence cited for these transactions involves invoices totaling 242,000 euros paid by the company Dos Mil Palabras—the publisher of the media outlet Okdiario—to cover the legal fees of Koldo’s attorney, Leticia de la Hoz.
While Alberto Durán, the PP lawyer implicated in the allegations, has denied the claims, the PSOE maintains that the financial trail is difficult to ignore. Rebeca Torró, the PSOE’s Secretary of Organization, emphasized the gravity of the situation during an interview with TVE, stating that the party is looking into the possibility of judicial action. She noted that the accusation involves a political party allegedly paying for a person to lie in court with the specific intent of toppling the government, which constitutes a crime.
García has signaled his intent to move beyond mere allegations. In a recent statement, he asserted his readiness to provide definitive proof, saying, “I will give the final blow.” He maintains that he refused the “barbarities” offered to him and claims his subsequent imprisonment was a direct retaliation for his refusal to cooperate with such a scheme.
The widening scope of the UCO investigation and the presidential response
The political firestorm arrives as the Civil Guard’s Central Operating Unit (UCO) expands its investigation into the Ministry of Transport. Judge Moreno has opened a separate judicial proceeding to investigate the alleged rigging of contracts during José Luis Ábalos’s tenure and the subsequent laundering of illicit commissions. This new legal branch follows a UCO report that identified links between the PP and Koldo García that had, according to socialist leaders, remained uninvestigated until now.
President Sánchez has distanced himself from the individuals currently under scrutiny. Addressing the arrest of Cristian Corvillo, a man linked to the businessman Víctor de Aldama, Sánchez stated, “I do not know any of these people and none of them was my driver.” This specific denial follows reports of Corvillo’s presence at a 2017 PSOE primary campaign event hosted by Sánchez.
The case is complicated because high-profile figures and entities are involved.
| Entity/Individual | Role/Affiliation | Nature of Allegation/Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Koldo García | Former advisor to José Luis Ábalos | Alleged recipient of a bribery offer to provide false testimony. |
| Alberto Durán | Lawyer | Accused by García of facilitating the million-euro bribery offer. |
| Dos Mil Palabras | Okdiario Publisher | Reported to have paid 242,000 euros toward Koldo’s legal defense. |
| Víctor de Aldama | Businessman | Central figure in the corruption probe involving the Ministry of Transport. |
| Cristian Corvillo | Detainee | Linked to the alleged concealment of assets by Aldama. |
Torró pointed out that the party is not ruling out any legal maneuvers, particularly as the investigation moves into the specifics of how political influence may have been purchased through media-linked corporate entities.
While the PP denies any involvement in bribery, the PSOE insists that the existence of specific invoices provides a roadmap that the courts must follow.
“It is not any triviality, it is a very grave accusation,” the PSOE noted regarding the attempt to influence the judicial process. “We are talking about a political party that would allegedly have paid so that a person lies in their judicial statement… with the sole objective of overthrowing the Government.”
