Koldo García He left no trace of his phone In March 2019. An internal mail of the Ministry of Transport shows that the then advisor of José Luis Ábalos completely formatted his mobile terminal at the end of that month, coinciding with The alleged contracts of contracts of millionaire works of this department and, also, with the beginning of payments by the rental plot of the Luxury floor of Jesica Rodríguez.
The mail, which reveals the reason, dates from March 27 of that year. It carries as a concept “confirmation of remote data elimination of the mobile device “and refers to the deletion of data from a Samsung brand device. The communication confirmed that the remote elimination of the device data that made that day had been completed. In addition, it also warns you that, “For security reasons”the device “It will continue to erase data If you try to synchronize it. “
The formatting occurred in 2019, that is, one year before they were signed The famous mask supply contracts for which this investigation began. In that sense, both the magistrate of the Koldo case in the Supreme Court, Leopold Puente, and the Anti -Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, has warned that the proceedings will not focus on this specific chapter, but that they will cover the entire period in which Ábalos was Minister of Transportation, that is, between 2018 and July 2021.
Transport works
The reason is that in this investigation time they have appeared new facts allegedly criminal that lead them to expand the focus to the months before the pandemic. Víctor de Aldama himself, who has pledged to pull the blanket, declared in the judicial headquarters that his relationship with Koldo García and with Ábalos began long before that transport will award two emergency contracts in full health crisis to the key company of the plot. In 2018, in fact, he already made trips with the ‘former number three’ of the PSOE to Mexicowhere he was presented as the honorary consul of Spain in Oaxaca.
In that sense, 2019 was an important year for two reasons: because there were the alleged mistress of public works awards of the Ministry of Transportation and because the network began to pay the monthly payments of the floor that was rented in Plaza de España for Jesica Rodríguez, then a couple of the Valencian politician. Aldama confessed in this regard in judicial headquarters that numerous gifts were distributed between them, not only for the mask ball, but also by “Other contracts linked to the award of public works”.
In addition, he identified in a document delivered in the judicial headquarters, awards of the Ministry with charge to the General State Budgets of Exercise 2021. Specifically, he pointed out to Levantine, Engineering and Construction SLOrtiz Construcciones y Projects SA and the Azvi Group. According to the confessed businessman, this construction company, in charge of its president Manuel Contreras, made a payment of 18,000 euros two years before the award, that is, In 2019, to a mercantile behind which Aldama was. The fertilizers, he said, were made as a reward for their mediation in the award of the work. The businessmen identified by Aldama denied the largest in their statements in the judicial headquarters.
Jesica’s floor
The amounts would be distributed, he said, between Ábalos and Koldo García, who was requisitioned by annotations that he kept at his home, according to which he would have perceived 10,000 euros per month of Aldama. In addition, he explained that in April 2019 a rental contract was held with the option to buy a luxury floor in the Paseo de la Castellana, between Aldama and Ábalos himself. As he said, the contract allowed the former socialist leader “Ensure the collection of future commissions.” It is striking that the signature of this agreement occurred just weeks after Koldo erased the content of his entire phone.
In addition, in March of that year the plot also began to pay for the rent of a luxury home in Plaza España. In this case it was Alberto Escolano – person of the maximum confidence of Aldama – who assumed the monthly payments of the house of which he was a couple of Ábalos. Puente understood it as an “economic benefit” towards the former minister, also highlighting that these fertilizers began in March 2019, just the same month that Koldo García proceeded to format your phone.
“The time has come for Mr. Ábalos Meco and his defense to understand, however much he could not be like Heavy rent of the floor in which who was then the sentimental couple of the minister was then.
Encrypted mobiles
The telephone listeners of the Civil Guard to the leaders of the Koldo case allowed to verify the deep concern of all of them – mainly from Aldama – for protecting their conversations. In that sense, the UCO pointed out that the plot allegedly paid 2,000 euros per month in ‘B’ to the Civil Guard Rubén Villalba, among other things, “Provide security to the organization. “Specifically, they would have provided securized and performed phones sweeps in the offices. From the intercepted audios to this command of the Armando Institute, it follows that he sometimes deceived them. “We did the paripé. We did not sweep or anything. He stayed at ease, “he said, referring to Aldama.
The Civil Guard intercepted a photograph related to a lunch held between Aldama and Koldo García in which a prepaid mobile is appreciated. In addition, in their conversations, being fully aware that the Civil Guard was after its trail, they began using keywords. Thus, to refer to their devices they alluded to the term “coffee.” “I tried yesterday to drink coffee But the card did not work for me, it has no balance, so I will call the bank to recharge, “they said once.
In another of the conversations seized, Villalba also referred to this term. “Prepare the coffee maker In its box that I will take to repair it. I have already talked to the technical service, “he said, thus confirming the suspicions of the UCO. For all this, the Civil Guard concluded that in their instant messaging conversations they could refer to with The pseudonym of “coffee” to a safe line of communication.
Koldo, meanwhile, also changed passwords during the time that was subject to investigation. In this case it was rather a internal protocol within the ministryjudging by the emails he received on this matter in his corporate account. It highlights, for example, in mid -2021 (just days before the cessation of Ábalos) in which “for security reasons” was recommended to change password in their labor devices. The message was sent from the General Subdirectorate of Information Technology and Communications of the Ministry of Transportation.
The audience protects the key material of the case
While the investigation continues with the focus on the UCO reports, the main investigated fight a battle at the National Court to recover all the material they requisitioned after the burst of the plot in February last year. Koldo himself has taken the matter before the criminal hall by deniring magistrate Moreno access all his devices. Agents requisitioned more than twenty telephones, in addition to computers, recorders and storage devices. However, the focus is put on two hard drives that were taken from Koldo’s house and containing private and personal information from Ábalos. The former minister himself tried to recover them now a year ago warning that it was his personal material that should be out of the process. However, both the judge and anti -corruption have closed them by warning that the process of returning them would be disturbed.