Commander of the Civil Guard Rubén Villalbais under investigation for alleged corruption in so-called Koldo affairdecided to remain silent this Monday in response to questions from senators on his alleged involvement in a plot that would have profited from the sale of masks during a pandemic.
Villalba, dismissed from his position as interior attaché at the Spanish embassy in Venezuela after his arrest in connection with this procedure, appeared this Monday afternoon before the Senate commission of inquiry into this affair, after the ‘having done in the morning the former director general of the armed institute Leonard Marcos.
Investigation for alleged crimes such as corruption and criminal organization, Villalba appeared behind closed doors and without his image being disclosed after having requested this possibility for having worked in the fight against terrorism. At the start of his appearance, the commander of the armed institute announced his decision not to answer any of the spokespersons’ questions because he is immersed in a legal investigation.
After being arrested, he explained, he had already decided not to testify before the judge of the National Court who investigated the case, Ismael Moreno, and who imposed a series of precautionary measures on him, such as ban on leaving Spain and withdrawal of one’s passport.
“I take advantage of my right not to testify; I will not answer any questions“, said the commander. His silence was not well received by some spokespersons such as that of the PP, José Antonio Monago, who announced that his group would request in the future the appearance of the commander’s superiors, who ” are not prevented “from testifying because they have not been the subject of an investigation.
Failed attempts to get him to talk
In a serious tone and after reading him the motto of the Civil Guard, Monago He tried, without success, to get the commander to explain his relationships with certain actors in the plot, such as Koldo García, former advisor to former minister José Luis Ábalos, or the businessman Víctor de Aldama; or on the payments he would have received from the network. The senator showed two photographs of the commander, which provoked the protest of the PSOE, which in turn launched severe criticism to the popular parties for diverting attention from the commission and transforming it into an initiative against the socialists , the government, the Civil Guard, Justice and the system.
Rubén Villalba was arrested in March at Adolfo Suárez Airport in Madrid Barajas, while carrying $4,835 divided into 1,724 notes between $1 and $10, according to the case summary.
Researchers believe that received between 2021 and 2023 “cash payments” of 2,000 euros “recurrently” from the alleged conspiracy commissioner, Víctor de Aldama, in exchange for providing protection for the alleged criminal organization, and they claim that he even provided secure “B-phones” for the plot.
He was questioned on these questions, in addition to PP, UPN and Voxinterested in knowing about the meeting he allegedly had with Koldo García at the seafood restaurant La Chalana, in Madrid, in October last year.
Because “telephones provided in B” to the plotwhy he agreed to be paid, allegedly, up to 88,000 euros, or whether he influenced negotiations with other countries, these are some of the questions that remain unanswered.
