Javier Hidalgoformer CEO of the Globalia group, appeared this Friday before the Senate commission of inquiry into the affair Koldo affair“, where he refused to answer the senators’ questions, thus taking advantage of his right not to testify. In accordance with what he also did Cristina Álvarez, councilor of Moncloa and assistant to Begoña Gómezwho claimed that this matter was legal.
However, even if he did not answer the questions, the businessman wanted to clarify that It is “false” that he met the head of the Executive, Pedro Sáncheznor that his company received favorable treatment from the government during the bailout. As for whether he knew the socialist personally, he indicated that he had only met him at an event attended by “25 other businessmen”. “This is my entire relationship with the president,” he bluntly defended before the senators.
Hidalgo, on the other hand, denied Air Europa – a subsidiary of Globalia – benefits from preferential treatment by the government when the airline’s “rescue” took place during the 2020 pandemic. In fact, it stated that “the operation was not a rescue, but a loan with the strictest and most unfavorable conditions of those granted in Europe.
Air Europa was “one of the last airlines to benefit from aid”, he stressed. He thus underlined that, far from having obtained a favorable agreement, as they point out, and from which his company would have benefited during the rescue; This was “disadvantaged in absolutely everything”. “You will tell me what preferential treatment we received, except that I am at a disadvantage in absolutely everything“, challenged those investigating the ‘Koldo case’.
Regarding his meeting with Begoña Gomezthe very one he is accused of having kept the same day as Pedro Sanchez reached a key agreement with Jose Luis Abalos for the rescue of Air Europa, Javier Hidalgo declared that it is “false” to have declared before the National Court that he did not remember having met her; but they asked him “in a twisted way“, if he remembered “who was there on July 24, 2020”. “I don’t know if you remember what you did four years ago,” he replied.
During his appearance before the Senate, he also denied stating in his witness statement that I did not know the former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos, nor to his former advisor Koldo García, as published by several media.
