Ábalos to fight 24-year jail term in mask case

A 24-year jail term in Spain’s mask case: former transport minister José Luis Ábalos says he will challenge his conviction in the Constitutional Court. He announced the move on X on Thursday, 15 October 2026, a day after news emerged that the Supreme Court had rejected his request to void the verdict.

The Supreme Court found Ábalos guilty of membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, influence peddling and embezzlement. He has been in prison since November 2025.

Ábalos argues that the Supreme Court had no authority to try him after he resigned as an MP and lost the special legal status that brought his case before it. The court says its authority was fixed when it ordered the trial to begin, while he was still an MP.

He also argues that the court’s approach denies him the right to have his criminal conviction reviewed by a second court. With his request to void the verdict rejected, Ábalos says his next step is an appeal to the Constitutional Court on the grounds that his fundamental rights were breached.

Topics: Court cases

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com