His controversial appointment as councilor of Renfe
Koldo García Izaguirre, former adviser and personal friend of former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos, was arrested yesterday for his alleged involvement in a corruption plot related to the railway sector. His appointment as director of Renfe Mercancías, on November 22, 2019, with Ábalos as the highest responsible for Transport, generated great controversy due to his lack of experience and training in the field of rail transport. According to Vozpópuli, García Izaguirre has a history full of incidents and convictions for assaults and injuries, including one to a minor for which he received a pardon.
His role as a confidant of Ábalos
García Izaguirre accompanied Ábalos on several occasions as an assistant and trusted person, including the controversial meeting with the Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, who was banned from entering the European Union due to the sanctions imposed by her regime. This meeting took place in the early hours of the morning at the Barajas airport and caused a great political and diplomatic scandal.
But this was not the only incident in which the former escort was involved, as the newspaper Hoy de Extremadura reported that she intervened in defense of Ábalos when he was scolded in a pub in Mérida (Extremadura). “Inside a leisure venue, the minister was accompanied by his adviser (identified as Koldo García Izaguirre), together with the escorts, and at a certain moment the identified approached and began to insult them “, said the police report, quoted by the newspaper.
The origin of his arrest for corruption
The arrest of García Izaguirre is due to the complaint that the Popular Party presented to the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, which in April 2022 opened proceedings that almost two years later have allowed his arrest. According to the investigation, García Izaguirre would have participated in a network of bribes and irregular awards in the railway sector, which would also affect other Renfe and Transport positions. The one who was trusted by Ábalos will have to answer to justice for these serious crimes.
