Unprecedented. Just 10 days ago, the President of the Congress, Francina Armengol—former Socialist President of the Balearic Islands during the COVID era—testified as a witness before the Supreme Court in the so-called “masks case.” The trial involves, among others, the former PSOE Organization Secretary and former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ávalos, and his then-advisor, Koldo García. In the masks case, it appears proven that both, along with a private “businessman”—Víctor Aldama—sold €3.7 million worth of masks at exorbitant prices, collecting and splitting substantial commissions in the process. Utilizing the political influence of the man who was then Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s number two, the “criminal organization” carried out all types of business. Among them was this mask deal, the first for which the Supreme Court—given that Ávalos held legal privilege (aforado)—is now trying them.
During the trial, the Supreme Court called as witnesses Francina Armengol—the current President of Congress and then-President of the Balearic Islands, who also purchased masks, some of which turned out to be useless—and the then-President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, now a government minister. Both exercised their right to testify in writing, and they did so.
However, the President of Congress made the mistake of denying her relationship with Koldo García, the man responsible for coordinating all parties involved in those business dealings. Armengol claimed to have “no memory or record” of their relationship. But yesterday, the Civil Guard was able to verify at least 65 WhatsApp messages in which they spoke familiarly about the matter—”Do you know if anyone is selling children’s masks?”… “I’ll sort it out for you, leave it to me”… and they even call each other “honey.”
