⚖️🛑 Supreme Court pre-trial in 'Mascarillas' case against Ábalos

Oneliner

The Supreme Court of Spain is conducting a pre-trial hearing in the 'Mascarillas' case involving former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and his aide Koldo García. The court has dismissed multiple challenges to the trial panel's composition and rejected a request for EU court clarification on jurisdiction. The defendants face serious corruption charges, with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office seeking lengthy prison sentences. Additionally, former PSOE secretary Santos Cerdán has been barred from participating in the proceedings.

Key points

• Supreme Court rejects multiple recusals from the trial panel.
• Koldo García's defense seeks EU court clarification on jurisdiction.
• Ábalos and García face serious corruption charges with potential prison sentences.
• Former PSOE secretary Santos Cerdán barred from participating in the hearing.

Links

• ABC: Ábalos y Koldo García acuden a la vista previa a su juicio con escasas posibilidades de sacarlo del Supremo
• El País: Koldo García reclama suspender el juicio para que el tribunal de la UE aclare si debe celebrarse en el Supremo
• ABC: El Supremo impide a Cerdán participar en la vista del caso Mascarillas en la que estarán Ábalos y Koldo García
• Público: El tribunal del juicio del 'caso mascarillas' rechaza la recusación de la mayoría de sus miembros exigida por Koldo García
• El Mundo: La primera imagen de Ábalos y Koldo tras su entrada en la cárcel: uno, tapado; el otro, cansado
• Europa Press: Marlaska defiende que Gobierno y PSOE actuaron "desde el primer momento" con Ábalos: "Tolerancia cero con la corrupción"

Facts

• The Supreme Court is hearing the 'Mascarillas' case involving José Luis Ábalos, Koldo García, and Víctor de Aldama.
• The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office seeks 24 years for Ábalos, 19 for García, and 7 for de Aldama.
• The court rejected multiple recusals from the trial panel as untimely.
• Santos Cerdán was barred from participating in the hearing due to ongoing investigations.

Quotes

• The requests for disqualification were submitted out of time and lack merit — Judge Julián Sánchez Melgar.
• The decision on which court is competent is decisive for Koldo García — Leticia de la Hoz.

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