Judge Ismael Moreno of the National Court has summoned Koldo García, former advisor to the Ministry of Transport, and businessman Víctor de Aldama to testify as investigated parties over alleged irregularities in mask contracts during the pandemic in the Canary Islands. The decision follows a UCO report detailing García's role in facilitating payments to a company linked to Aldama. Both will appear in late November.
The probe focuses on irregularities in COVID-19 emergency contract awards since 2023. The Canary Islands Health Service awarded several contracts worth 12,317,580.24 euros to Soluciones de Gestión, an instrumental company linked to Aldama, described as the "corrupt nexus" in the case. This firm went from billing just over 100,000 euros in 2018 and nothing in 2019 to receiving nearly 54 million in eight 2020 contracts for health supplies.
Ángel Víctor Torres, then Canary Islands president and current minister, features in the Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) report for his closeness to Koldo García. WhatsApp messages show Torres managed the payment of over 7.5 million euros owed to Aldama's company out of a total of 12 million. The report suggests a possible July 2020 meeting in Madrid between Torres and Aldama to address payment delays, though Torres denies personal dealings but does not rule out the encounter.
Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office, via Luis Pastor Motta, charges both with influence peddling. Aldama paid García 10,000 euros monthly in cash from 2019 to 2022, as a sort of "payroll" enabling favor requests, including advance information on tenders and actions for certifications and payments. "This recurring payment allowed Víctor de Aldama access to the minister himself [José Luis Ábalos]," states the prosecutor. García facilitated Aldama's alliances with Soluciones de Gestión to access the awards.
Aldama will testify on November 27 and García on the 28, both at 10 a.m., before the Central Investigating Court number 2.