Koldo García Izaguirre, former advisor to the Ministry of Transport under the socialist José Luis Ábalos, has been called to appear before the Senate investigation committee on Monday, April 22, to testify about alleged corruption in the purchase of masks during the pandemic. However, his attendance is not confirmed as the Senate has been unable to contact him. Garcia is the main suspect in the case and the first of the witnesses called by the committee chaired by the PP. Senate President, Pedro Rollán, confirmed the issue on Thursday, stating that they have been unable to locate Garcia using the addresses and phone numbers he previously provided.
The usual procedure for summoning witnesses to a committee investigation involves lawyers informing the police of the list of individuals to be called. The police then provide the addresses, and it is up to the committee to make contact. In this case, the notification sent to Garcia on Tuesday has not received a response, and it is unclear whether it was sent by mail or phone. Rollán suggested that Garcia may be residing in Benidorm, based on recent interviews, but the information provided to the Senate was his registered address, complicating the process. The committee met on Wednesday to address the issue and has scheduled an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to resolve it.
Those summoned to appear at a committee investigation are legally obligated to do so, with failure to attend classified as disobedience under the Penal Code. If Garcia’s appearance is postponed, it could overshadow the start of the committee investigation, which is also examining the purchase of medical supplies during the pandemic crisis. The former Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, is scheduled to testify on Monday and Wednesday, while his interrogation by the PP in the Senate may lose impact if the scheduled witnesses are postponed, potentially affecting the effectiveness of the investigation.
During their meeting, the Senate committee also scheduled additional testimonies, including Santos Cerdán, the PSOE’s Secretary General of Organization, who will appear on April 30. Meanwhile, former Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, who was expelled from the PSOE due to his involvement in the Koldo case, is scheduled to testify on May 6. These testimonies come just days before the Catalan elections on May 12. The Senate committee has set these dates, while the Congress has yet to determine when Ábalos will appear before their committee, making it his first scheduled appearance.
Overall, the difficulties in contacting Koldo García Izaguirre for his testimony on alleged corruption in mask purchases during the pandemic have highlighted the challenges faced by the Senate investigation committee. With key witnesses scheduled to testify in the coming days, including former Minister Salvador Illa and Secretary General Santos Cerdán, the outcome of the investigation remains uncertain. The potential impact of any postponements or delays on the effectiveness of the committee’s work and the public perception of accountability in government actions during the pandemic will be closely watched.
