The patron of subsidized love that plugged into their women

In the vast and convoluted world of Spanish politics, where loyalties are sold to weight and honesty is a very scarce good than common sense, there are figures that stand out for their innate talent to move in the shadows. One of those virtuous power is José Luis Ábalos, Former Minister of Transportation, old number three of the PSOE And now, not to lose the habit of the greats of his trade, investigated for justice for alleged corruption.

If the former minister dedicated so much effort to place his friends in public bodies, how long did he have left to do his job? Maybe the true mystery resides. But reducing the path of Ábalos to a simple case of influence peddling would be an injustice. No, the former minister has been, above all, a generous man, a patron of love and public employment. Where others see nepotism and shameless plugging, he has only wanted to exercise his noble work of benefactor of his relatives. Because what is power if it cannot be used to guarantee the happiness of loved ones?

The biography of José Luis Ábalos gives for a Latin American soap opera: three marriages, five children, a prolific political career that goes from youth communism to pragmatic socialism, and an enviable Don to surround themselves with fortunate women who, for those whims of destiny, end up arriving in comfortable positions of public companies. How beautiful is love (or whatever) when it comes with insured payroll and without labor demands.

The paradigmatic case of its peculiar way of understanding meritocracy is that of Jéssica, a young dentistry student that, in a turn of fairy tales, he went from the university classrooms to collect a salary in Ineco, a public company dependent on the ministry of his then lover. But Jéssica was not one of those commoners who are lowered to work: their contribution to the progress of the nation consisted of collecting a laptop and doing a occupational risk course. What else, if the real risk was ran by the taxpayer? But the generosity of Ábalos did not limit himself to granting him a salary without obligations. No, she had to live with dignity, and for that nothing better than an apartment in the Madrid tower, with a rental of 2,700 euros per month. What did he pay? Well, it is said, the surroundings of Víctor de Aldama, because philanthropy, in the circles of power, is a team sport.

Plugs with history

If someone thought that this fondness for sentimental plugging was something recent, he is wrong. The history of Ábalos and their ability to distribute positions as if they were candies in a cavalcade of kings comes from afar. In 1996, when he had not yet reached the summit of his career, he had the detail of placing one Martínez, nursing assistant, as a development project technician at the NGO Fiadelso. Since then, the woman specialized in tasks as versatile as accounting, events organization and economic monitoring of projects. Such was his skill in multitasking that, years later, Ábalos himself would end up marrying Carolina Perles, who, things in life, would also end up performing key functions in the same organization.

But Ábalos altruism was not limited to couples. His then father -in -law, Mario Perles, found in Fiadelso a work home as secretary of the Board of Trustees. How beautiful it is to see how the family remains united around the values ​​of the public service … and of the public salary, of course. Over the years, already measured that I climbed positions in the PSOE, the positions improved. When he became Minister of Transport and Secretary of Organization of the Party, his wife Carolina Perles became an advisor to the Government delegation in Madrid. Advisor of not knowing exactly what, but, in these cases, specialization is a minor detail.

The lucky women’s club

But Jéssica’s story does not end in Ineco. After two years without giving a stick to the water – a experience that, why fool us, was taking pleasure – passed through Tragsatec, another public company dependent on the SEPI. Again, without the need to work, because in the Universe Ábalos, employment is a flexible concept. Now, it would be unfair for love to only benefit one person. So, when Jéssica left the map, her place was occupied by Andrea de la Torre, the current couple of Ábalos, who, for those mysteries of life, ended up signed in Logirail, a subsidiary of Renfe, where she spent two years as an administrative assistant. It doesn’t matter that your experience in railway logistics was void: love moves mountains, and also moves files. And if we talk about mysteries, we can’t forget Claudia Montes, Miss Asturias 2017, which also went through the same company. Although she swears and perjura that had nothing to do with Ábalos, the fact is that her hiring continues to generate doubts. It seems that the former minister had not only a good eye for public positions, but also for the covers of beauty competitions.

The twilight of the benefactor

All this deployment of generosity could not go unnoticed forever. Finally, the Supreme Court has put the magnifying glass on José Luis Ábalos, investigating it for the crimes of criminal organization, bribery, influence peddling and embezzlement. Someone might think that it is an unfair punishment for a man who only wanted to guarantee the well -being of his closest circle. The Anti -Corruption Prosecutor has already launched a notice: if the former minister tries to hinder the action of justice, he could end in prison. What was an ascending political career in its day has become a judicial soap opera where the protagonists are not exactly heroes. Meanwhile, Ábalos insists on his innocence, that all this is nothing more than a conspiracy, a political vendetta, a bureaucratic confusion. And maybe he is right. Maybe his only crime has been to love too much … and have on hand a power structure with which to turn love into a public salary.