Koldo case: police seek Adif rail files in Madrid
Guardia Civil investigators delivered a judge’s demand for documents at Adif’s Madrid headquarters on 11 September. The files concern work by construction firm Levantina on the railway network in Asturias. They form part of the Koldo case, which examines suspected irregularities in Transport Ministry public-works contracts.
National Court judge Ismael Moreno ordered the Guardia Civil’s Central Operational Unit, known as the UCO, on 8 September to obtain a report on the Asturias work. Three days later, officers handed the request to a manager in Adif’s finance, purchasing and contracting department.
Repairs followed train derailment
Adif secretary-general Irene Bonet emailed the UCO an initial report on the same day. It details repairs to a stretch of railway after a landslide of earth and trees derailed a train and left people with minor injuries.
The paperwork says Adif recognised €373,405.45 for work completed, against an original budget of €489,300.
Judge examines alleged rigged contracts
Moreno is investigating claims that works were repeatedly awarded to different construction companies, including Levantina, to obtain public contracts fraudulently in return for payments to former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and his adviser Koldo García.
The source says Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced Ábalos to 24 years in prison and García to 19 years. Moreno said the allegedly manipulated contracts fell under the control of the Transport Ministry, Adif and the Directorate-General for Roads.
Former Adif president Isabel Pardo de Vera and former roads director-general Javier Herrero are accused in the case. The UCO named Acciona Construcción, Levantina Ingeniería y Construcción and Obras Públicas y Regadíos as possible beneficiaries, leading to accusations against several company officials and former PSOE organisation secretary Santos Cerdán, among others.
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Topics: Court cases · Police · Traffic · Politics
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com