Eva Rodríguez
Operation Delorme, now better known as the Koldo Case, in which 20 people have been arrested for collecting illegal commissions for the sale of medical equipment in the Pandemic. New faces, previously unknown to the general public but known in business and political circles, have shaken up the Spanish news. But, who are they?
Top left, Koldo García. Top right, Joseba García and Iñigo Rotaeche. Bottom left, Victor de Aldama. Bottom right, Juan Carlos Cueto. Source of all images: EFE
Koldo García Izaguirre. The most visible face in the case due to his relationship with the central government, acted as José Luis Ábalos' right-hand man during his time as Transport Minister. He started as a chauffeur and bodyguard and was later promoted to advisor. He was a member of the board of directors of Renfe Cercanías from November 2019 to August 2021, as well as a member of the board of directors of Puertos del Estado between 2019 and 2021. Although his CV does not end there, he has been a security guard, a doorman in a brothel and has been arrested for assault and battery on two occasions.
He would have used his influence by providing information on the procurement processes of the masks and charging millions of dollars for it. According to the Prosecutor's Office, this could be linked to the purchase of three properties in Benidorm: one in his name; another one in the name of his wife, Patricia Uriz Iriarte, who is also under investigation; and the third one in the name of his daughter, who is only two years old. In addition, together with his wife, they have 138,000 euros in cash without justification.
Juan Carlos Cueto. Owner of the Cueto Group, conglomerate to which Soluciones de Gestión SL belongs and alleged ringleader of the plot. As of 2017, he no longer appears in the social bodies of the group - although the Audiencia Nacional ensures that he had de facto control during the pandemic - due to his investigation for a case of bribery of officials in Angola called the Defex case.
Víctor de Aldama. Businessman and President of Zamora CF. Professionally linked to the Cueto Group, he contacted Soluciones de Gestión y Apoyo SL to provide MITMA with face masks, from which there are indications of illegitimate lucracion, acquiring material goods that he put in the name of his companies and later in the name of companies of his partners, carrying out a de-patrimonialisation of his assets, according to the Audiencia Nacional.
Iñigo Rotaeche Lachiondo. Sole shareholder of Soluciones de Gestión SL at the time the contracts were awarded. Together with Cueto, he managed the commissions for the face mask contracts, passing the money on to another of the Cueto Group companies, Pizarras Santa Barbara SL.
Joseba García Izaguirre. Brother of Koldo Garcia. He was a worker at EMFESA, a public railway material company that is linked to MITMA. He also allegedly bought a car owned by Victor de Aldama.
Jacobo Pombo. The Audiencia Nacional points to him as an intermediary along with Ábalos and he also collected commissions during the pandemic. President of the "Global Youth Leadership Forum", a lobby aimed at promoting youth leadership. He was a member of the New Generations of the Popular Party and is known for his connections with several members of Spanish and Latin American politics whom he invited to his forum.
The contracts were made with public entities, so members of the political class have also been affected, although they are not being investigated by Audiencia Nacional. They are the main ones affected:
José Luis Ábalos. Former Minister of Transport. As a result of the case, Ábalos resigned from his post as president of the Interior Commission of the Congress of Deputies in addition to going to the mixed group, after being expelled from the PSOE. According to an order by the judge of the Audiencia Nacional, Ismael Moreno, to which EFE had access, Ábalos would be an intermediary in the plot to try to solve the Balearic Government's claim for money from the company for the masks contract, although the ex-minister is not being investigated.
Francina Armengol. Current president of the Congress of Deputies, was the president of the Balearic Government at the time of the contracts. In 2023, the government claimed 2.6 million euros from Soluciones de Gestión for the masks. The Popular Party calls for her dismissal as president of the congress for her alleged involvement in the awarding of the contracts and the delay of the claim to Soluciones de Gestión.
Miguel Tellado. Current spokesman of the Popular Party in the Congress of Deputies. According to Agencia EFE, Tellado would also be pointed out by the judge due to a conversation in which Koldo Garcia assures Cueto that he contacted Tellado due to the claim of the Balearic Government. However, Tellado is not under investigation.
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