On the second day of the masks case trial at Spain's Supreme Court—following initial testimonies from family members denying corruption involvement—witnesses detailed the hirings of Claudia Montes, friend of former minister José Luis Ábalos, and Jésica Rodríguez, Ábalos's ex-partner, in companies under the Transport Ministry. Montes admitted reading train books during work hours, while accounts highlighted unexcused absences and ministerial interventions.
Spain's Supreme Court heard testimonies on Wednesday, April 8, 2026—the second day of the trial against Ábalos and Koldo García for alleged corruption in mask contracts—about the hirings of Claudia Montes at Logirail (a Renfe subsidiary) and Jésica Rodríguez at Ineco and Tragsatec.
Montes, Miss Asturias 2017 (+30 category) and a socialist militant, met Ábalos at a May 2019 rally in Gijón. He sent her job links for luxury tourist train sales. She denied favoritism, claiming hard work with 80 extra hours, but admitted reading train books at Oviedo library during paid time to self-train.
José Ángel Méndez, former Logirail managing director, proposed disciplining Montes for over eight unexcused absences and was removed soon after. Successor Óscar Gómez Barbero blamed absences on poor workspace conditions (basement without computer) and promoted her to supervisor. Renfe's ex-president Isaías Táboas confirmed Koldo García sent Montes's CV to HR.
For Rodríguez—who on day one admitted earning 43,978 euros at Ineco and Tragsatec from 2019-2021 without working—Adif's Ignacio Zaldívar testified that Adif president Isabel Pardo de Vera called twice after Ábalos complained about 'bothering' her (e.g., food vouchers). Zaldívar marked her as 'special' due to ministerial pressure.
Testimonies conflict: Montes denies favoritism amid reports of irregularities. Anticorruption prosecutor Alejandro Luzón probed hiring dynamics. The trial, focusing on influence peddling beyond masks, continues.
