The National Court is investigating a fictitious contract of 15 million euros linked to the alleged irregular financing of the PSOE. The document was provided by businessman Víctor de Aldama in the secret file in which Judge Ismael Moreno traces the accounts of the party led by Pedro Sánchez and, according to EL MUNDO, is being analyzed by the investigator and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
Together with this document, related to the marketing of the millionaire quota of Venezuelan oil detected by the Civil Guard in the hydrocarbons case – the envelope that was in Aldama’s possession and that was also handed over by the businessman to Justice -, he testified before the magistrate that he made a significant cash delivery to Koldo García to cover the expenses of the party and the Socialist International at the request of the former advisor to José Luis Ábalos.
According to Aldama’s testimony, these funds came from an initial advance payment from the Venezuelan state oil company that were channeled through an international network of companies and simulated contracts.
This is one of the central lines of investigation of the instruction currently being carried out by the National Court, along with the cash structuring in Ferraz that led to the initiation of the procedure.
The 15 million contract, which is already in the hands of the investigators, dates from late 2019 and includes, on one side, the company Apamate Corporate and Trust, S.L., controlled by Venezuelan businessman Francisco Flores – linked to the Plus Ultra case where former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is charged -. Through this entity, the company Apamate committed to pay the aforementioned amount of 15 million to Aldama for the marketing of Venezuelan oil. However, the true purpose of the operations was disguised in the agreement.
The license to market six million barrels of crude, Aldama claims, was personally provided to him by the current acting president Delcy Rodríguez for a value of 249 million dollars in February 2020, but he specifies that there were advance payments. Rodríguez vehemently denies this and, as this newspaper reported, has already taken legal action against the businessman through the law firm of Baltasar Garzón, which has announced the filing of a lawsuit for defamation.
According to Aldama’s account before the head of the Investigative Court number 2 of the National Court, former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García told him before Delcy Rodríguez’s visit to Spain to obtain funds for the party, as they were looking for financing channels for Ferraz. According to the version given by the businessman, those funds were needed urgently.
Cash delivery to Koldo
Aldama argues that he personally managed this request with the then vice president of Nicolás Maduro and that PDVSA arranged a first transfer. This operation amounted to 5 million and was channeled through Russia, as revealed by El Español and confirmed by this newspaper. Of this first delivery, at least 300,000 euros were diverted to Aldama’s bank accounts in Spain.
The businessman detailed in his secret testimonies given in March and July – in this second judicial summons he provided the most details – that he withdrew those funds in cash and handed them over personally to Koldo García. This operation, according to Aldama’s statement in the National Court, was much more ambitious and aimed to divert millions to the PSOE and the Socialist International.
Read more The taxi-pateras break in «uncontrolled» on the coasts of Murcia: «There is a feeling of impunity»
As he already pointed out in his statement before the Supreme Court during the first trial of the Ábalos plot, Aldama maintains that the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, was aware and again places him at the top of the criminal organization for which he himself has recently been sentenced to four and a half years in prison, obtaining a highly qualified mitigating factor for his collaboration with Justice. Aldama’s sentence was suspended by the court after appreciating his “full and continuous cooperation” with the investigation by having provided “truthful and relevant” information and “evidence” to prove the crimes committed.
Currently, both the contract and copies of the various transfers made are in the hands of Judge Ismael Moreno and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the investigations are now trying to determine whether, indeed, the funds from Venezuelan oil ended up in the socialist coffers, according to sources consulted in the case.
Shortly before these monetary operations, Ábalos met in Madrid with Jorge Rodríguez, brother of the acting president of Venezuela and at that time Minister of Communication. That meeting could take place in a central Madrid café because, unlike what happened with Delcy, who landed in Madrid in the early hours of January 19-20, 2020, he was not subject to any entry ban into the European Union.
Rodríguez expressly asked Ábalos to establish “a channel of permanent communication” and for Sánchez’s government to reject Juan Guaidó as acting president of the country, as recognized by the EU. In other words, for the socialist government to break any kind of contact with the Venezuelan opposition. Months later, Sánchez refused to meet with the opposition leader.
Foreign policy
Among the aspects that this secret investigation is trying to verify is whether the payments allegedly received by Koldo from Aldama for the party influenced the change in the Government’s foreign policy with gestures in favor of the Maduro Regime.
On the other hand, various sources consulted in the investigation indicate that the instruction is progressing regarding cash payments in Ferraz. According to Aldama, those undeclared funds came from builders who financed the PSOE in exchange for access to major rigging of public works. The amount paid did not correspond to a percentage of the work but was negotiated case by case. The construction companies gave the money to Aldama, who passed it on to Koldo and Ábalos. They disguised the income from those funds to the PSOE accounts under the concept of donations.
Meanwhile, the Court has already analyzed the documentation requested and delivered by Pedro Sánchez’s party to the judge and has ordered new proceedings due to the detected data discrepancies. The flow of cash envelopes remains unclear to Judge Moreno and prosecutor Luis Pastor despite the explanations given by Ferraz.
Informing sources also indicate that the case will remain under secrecy for a few more months as various reports from the UCO, among other proceedings, are awaited.
Read more Van Aert achieves his second stage victory on a route that was shortened due to high temperatures
