Former Spanish minister sentenced to prison

TT

Published 15.46

 

Former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos. Archive Photo: Virginia Mayo/AP/TT

The Prime Minister's former right-hand man is sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption.

Spain's Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and his former advisor Koldo Garcia to prison. They were sentenced to 24 and 19 years in prison respectively. Both are accused of corruption.

José Luis Ábalos is sentenced to additional charges of bribery, organized crime, and embezzlement.

The trial is one of several corruption cases involving people in Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's circle. Sánchez himself is not a suspect in any of the cases and believes they are part of a campaign to oust him, AFP reports.