The PSOE breathes a sigh of relief. The decision of the Supreme Court judge to keep José Luis Ábalos free for now saves the socialists the wear and tear of seeing a second former Secretary of Organization go to prison and, incidentally, saves them one more tangle in the formation of their squalid parliamentary majority. Although the official slogan in the party is to disassociate itself from the vicissitudes of the former Minister of Transportation, everyone in the ranks of the Government agrees that the imprisonment of Ábalos would have meant “more gasoline” for the opposition and that Leopoldo Puente's order this Wednesday helps to “resize” a cause that has already kept Santos Cerdán behind bars since last June.
From early in the morning, the Executive seemed relatively sure that there was not much room for maneuver for the provisional detention of their former comrade. “Honestly, I think that preventive detention at this point would no longer make much sense,” one of the people closest to the president commented in the halls of Congress hours before the order was announced. “I don't know if any of the assumptions exist to preventively imprison someone after so much time. The risk of escape and the destruction of evidence no longer seem to have a place,” he added.
The news that arrived from the Supreme Court shortly after two in the afternoon helped establish a sense of contained relief that has existed among the socialist ranks for some weeks now and is based on the lack of news from the investigation. “Here we began to talk about millions and millions of euros and a widespread scandal for which, at the moment, we have no basis. I understand that there are suspicions based on indications from which we do not take any seriousness away, but there is no new data to support anything and the cause does not seem to live up to the expectations of some so far,” another party leader pointed out after learning of the judge's decision.
The entry into prison of Ferraz's former number 2 would also have meant a complication in Congress for the majority that supports the Government. Some of their parliamentary partners were already doing the math on Wednesday morning to find out exactly how the price of the votes of some groups, such as Junts or Podemos, could increase the price of the fact that this majority had one less deputy when it came to facing the most complicated votes.
Because it was certain that if Ábalos was imprisoned and did not hand in his record, his right to vote would have been suspended and also his salary as a member of the Lower House. But it was not so clear how the Hemicycle would be formed from there. Sources from the presidency of Congress expected that the doubt as to whether the majorities had been altered should have been cleared up with a report from the lawyers. That is, if it had officially become composed of 349 deputies due to the suspension of Ábalos, or it had remained at 350. And the difference is substantial for the tightest votes in which an absolute majority of support is needed.
Judge's clash with Congress
In a surprising move, Judge Leopoldo Puente gave his opinion on this parliamentary entanglement in his order to free Ábalos and even recommended a reform of the regulations. In his writing he alluded to the “stupor” produced, in his opinion, by the fact that the former socialist minister is still a deputy and asked to open a “reflection” on the matter.
“As a final coda, this instructor is no stranger to the natural astonishment produced by the fact that a person, in front of whom there are such consistent indications of the possible commission of very serious crimes (…) can continue to exercise at the same time the high functions that correspond to a member of Congress,” wrote the magistrate, who noted that it is “a good reason for reflection.” And that is why he proposed “that some mechanism capable of preventing this could be articulated by law” before ending by recognizing that “the modification of the rules” is not “a competence that corresponds to the members of the Judiciary.”
The presidency of the Congress of Deputies did not take long to respond. “We believe in the separation of powers and that the role of the judiciary is to comply with the laws, not to give an opinion on them,” said sources from Francina Armengol's team, who also criticized that the magistrate did not immediately transfer to the Lower House a decision that affects one of its members.
“The regulations of Congress obliges the Supreme Court to communicate the orders and sentences that are issued that affect Ábalos and it has not communicated anything to us. Perhaps instead of recommending that we change the laws, it would be better for them to comply with the existing ones. Congress is complying with its current regulations,” they replied from Congress.
“A decent government”
In the weekly face-to-face of the control session, the opposition leader returned to the fray with his strategy of trying to portray a Government surrounded by corruption. And that is why he did not limit himself to the case of the day, that of José Luis Ábalos, but extended his accusations to the president's entire entourage. “With you, Ábalos, Cerdán, Koldo and their family have prospered, all in your shadow. And while in your circle you make money, in Spain you do the math, those who suffer to make ends meet see and see the bills running around them like in a brothel. Your response is another tax increase, because the self-employed will pay more. You have turned Spain into an expensive country for the worker and cheap for the scoundrel,” he said. Feijóo, who asked Pedro Sánchez if he considered him to be a “decent” president for the country.
“What is not decent are your silences,” responded the president, who attacked the latest cases affecting autonomous governments of the PP. “We have seen Ayuso say that women should have abortions outside the Community of Madrid, and what have you said? Nothing. We have heard the president of the Andalusian Government say that doctors have not informed women about screening so as not to alarm them. And what have you said? Nothing. To Miguel Ángel Rodríguez say that he has lied in court and to his party say that lying is not a crime, and what do you say? Nothing. The question we must ask ourselves It is what you contribute to politics. They applaud him to cover with their applause the nothingness of his interventions,” he concluded.
This Thursday it will be the turn of Ábalos' former advisor, Koldo García, to make a statement in court. Although he is one of the alleged leaders of the corrupt plot that would have camped freely in the Ministry of Transport, the PSOE assures that this is a “very different” case from that of their former number two from a political point of view. And they do not fear, therefore, that their judicial situation will imply any additional wear and tear on the Executive.