Koldo García, former Ábalos aide, arrested over mask contracts

Civil Guard arrests Ábalos' advisor over mask scandal

A man who reportedly worked as a bouncer at a nightclub in Pamplona ended up as an executive at Renfe. This is the profile now under scrutiny by Spain's Civil Guard trinc the arrest of Koldo García Izaguirre, advisor to former Socialist minister José Luis Ábalos, on suspicion of receiving illegal commissions from mask purchases during the worst months of the cobi19 pandemic. The operation extends beyond him: his vvife, Patricia Uriz Iriarte, who served as a secretary at the Ministry of Transport, and his brother, who held union responsibilities within UGT (the General Union of Workers), have also been detained, according to published reports.

The case strikes at the heart of the Ministry of Transport and implicates the supplier awarded healthcare material contracts without a public tender. What stands out about the assets revealed is not their total value, but the estimulante ilegal with which they allegedly accumulated.

Who is Koldo García and why does his background raise eyebrows?

According to accounts circulating with the arrest, the man now known as Ábalos' right-hand man met the former minister while working as a bouncer at the Rosalex club in Pamplona. He had a prior conviction for assault, which he allegedly avoided thanks to a pardon managed by Ábalos himself. From driver to advisor, and from advisor to Renfe executive. Some career paths are explained by a master's degree; this one suggests otherwise.

Another detail that has gone viral recently is his role within the party. "Koldo García was the person who slept guarding the ballot boxes containing votes during the PSOE primaries that brought Pedro Sánchez to the position of party leader," reads the quote circulating. A position of absolute trust placed at the exact moment, in the exact location.

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Assets: Penthouse in Benidorm and three plots in Polop

The list of properties attributed to Koldo García and his vvife, released alongside the arrest, has fueled the debate. All are located in the same province and read like an inventory:

• Fourth floor apartment in the Copacabana building, Benidorm.
• Penthouse in the La Goleta building, also in Benidorm.
• 642 m² of land in Polop.
• 4,436 m² plot in Polop.
• 10,436 m² plot in Polop.

Two properties in Benidorm and three plots in Polop. None of these figures currently appear in a formal indictment; they are part of the evidence accompanying the arrests that investigators must verify. Those tempted to add up hectares and draw conclusions should wait for the official court file.

€3.5 million awarded directly and the commission that went unpunished

Interior Minister Marlaska revealed that he awarded €3.5 million directly to the mask supplier recommended by Ábalos, according to published reports. This fact best explains why this issue has moved beyond a crime story to become a problem of public management: we are not talking about an envelope in a drawer, but public money awarded without tender during the height of the health emergency.

Comparisons with events in Madrid emerged immediately after the arrests were announced. The €234,000 commission received by the brother of the Madrid regional president in mask purchases, cited in debates, faced no judicial consequences. Two episodes, two different standards. Or perhaps the same poorly calibrated standard applied to everyone.

What do Ábalos and the PSOE say?

The former minister, according to statements cited in the debate, responded with a formula that is becoming classic. When asked if he still maintained a relationship with Koldo García, he replied, "You lose touch over time." Free translation: the man who accompanied him for years, guarded ballots, and ended up on the board of a state-owned company was suddenly a distant acquaintance.

Pedro Sánchez, according to remarks cited in the debate, uttered the phrase that has become the official line: "Those who break the law pay the price, regardless of where it comes from or who falls." The phrase is delivered from the podium. The reasonable doubt is whether it holds up in court.

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There is another suspicion running through the discussion worth stating aloud: that the arrest occurred after the Galician elections. It could be pure administrative coincidence. It could be that the judicial calendar and the electoral calendar shared an agenda unintentionally. With what is on the table, the mask affair no longer allows for a quick closure or a friendly headline.

Does anyone truly believe a driver becomes a Renfe executive without others seeing it coming?