The Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard has found among the material delivered by the businessman Victor de Aldamainvestigated in the “Koldo case”, a video in which “packages, which could be suitcases, packed in green plastic”according to knowledgeable sources. The discovery occurs within the framework of the investigation into the alleged illegal financing of the PSOE. The document was among the material delivered by the commission agent on March 12. In the absence of confirmation, a first hypothesis that researchers use is that they could be the famous luggage that the now acting president of Venezuela supposedly broughtDelcy Rodríguez –at that time vice president–, when she tried to enter Spain in January 2020. This newspaper tried to obtain Aldama’s version but did not receive a response.
The agents have been working since last week on the analysis of the famous envelope that Aldama had in his possession and that, allegedly, linked the accounts of the socialists with Venezuelan oil. The investigations investigate the veracity of the information delivered to the Central Court of Instruction number 2 of the National Court, which directs Ismael Moreno. To do this, the metadata is being checked, in order to find out when the documents were created.
The judge, after a first analysis, gave relevance to the content and ordered that they be attached to the case and that the elite unit will analyze it. Among the information there are PDF files, photos and videos. One of the latter has caught the attention of researchers. In it, according to the sources consulted, you can see different packages packed with green plastic. “It could be the famous suitcases, but we are seeing it,” the aforementioned sources point out.
The National Court began the separate and secret piece on the alleged illegal financing of the PSOE with the cash payments involved in the “Koldo case.” The judge requested all the party’s accounting information to compare the notes, deliveries and conversations that have been revealed in the investigation in relation to the former minister. José Luis Ábalos and his former advisor at the Ministry of Transport, Koldo Garciaalthough the magistrate expanded the investigation to all cash payments. The President of the Government himself, Pedro Sanchezacknowledged in the Senate investigation commission having collected expenses in this way.
Now the work is focused on finding out what is relevant and what is not, as well as their veracity. As Aldama himself has stated in various interviews, the contents of the envelope would not only affect the financing of the PSOE, but also the Socialist International, where the party is based. That part could have ramifications abroad, which could delay the investigations. Progress will possibly depend on the collaboration of third countries. After the analysis, some of the elements provided could be expunged, leaving them out of the judicial case.
On Aldama’s famous envelope you can read “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Ministry of Popular Power of Petroleum. PDVSA». The sender is Manuel Quevedo Fernández, minister of the branch at that time, and the recipient Delcy Rodríguez, who was vice president of the country at that time. She and Aldama shared a relevant friendship, as reflected in the case summary. The UCO was aware of its existence for months. In the analysis of the conversations of the plot, they detected that Aldama asked one of his partners, Luis Alberto Escolanoto send it to him. The Civil Guard searched an apartment in Calatayud (Zaragoza) to look for him, but they came back empty-handed.
Escolano guarded the envelope while Aldama was in provisional prison within the framework of the “Hydrocarbons case”, in which a fraud of more than 180 million euros is being investigated. The photograph of the envelope appears in UCO reports. One of them indicates that Aldama would have received it on February 4, 2020. The date is relevant, since it occurred just two weeks after Rodríguez’s frustrated arrival at the Barajas airport, where she was received by Ábalos and the commission agent himself.
The contents of the envelope have remained in the most absolute secret. Aldama has not revealed its contents at any time, ensuring that it was “proof of life” in case something happened to him. After revealing his existence in court, he received various threats, as this newspaper revealed. Judge Ismael Moreno summoned him on March 4 to hand him over, but decided to suspend the appointment. The businessman asked to deliver it safely as he feared for his personal safety. He finally handed it over on March 12, without it being announced and in the presence of his lawyer and the anti-corruption prosecutor.