Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had no ties with an alleged corruption scheme whose trial has rocked the left-wing government, a key defendant in the case told a court on Thursday. The trial of Sánchez’s former right-hand man José Luis Ábalos is just one of several investigations into alleged corruption by the Socialist premier’s family and ex-political allies that have raised doubts about the government’s viability. Ábalos, a former transport minister and Socialist heavyweight who helped propel Sánchez to power in 2018, is accused of earning kickbacks for the irregular awarding of contracts for face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prosecutors say Abalos abused his position in government to allow businessman Victor de Aldama to land the lucrative contracts, with ex-adviser Koldo García acting as the key intermediary. Ábalos and García, who face up to 24 and 19 years in jail respectively if convicted, deny the allegations against them. Aldama told the Supreme Court in Madrid on Wednesday that Sanchez was at the apex of a criminal structure that rigged the contracts and illegally funded his party, which the Socialists described as “slander”. García riposted as he took the stand on Thursday, denying Sánchez had any knowledge of the alleged plot.

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