The Civil Guard provisionally suspends the commander stationed in Venezuela investigated in the Koldo case from duties

MADRID, 7 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Civil Guard has provisionally suspended the commander assigned to the Venezuelan Embassy who was arrested and released by the National Court in the framework of the investigation of the 'Koldo case', as informed by sources from the Institute to Europa Press. Armed.

These sources have specified that a disciplinary file has been opened against Commander Rubén Villalba which, following the internal regulations of the Civil Guard in this type of case, is paralyzed while the criminal procedure being conducted in Central Court number 2 of the National audience. As a precautionary measure, he has been suspended from duties.

The decision was adopted one day after Judge Ismael Moreno released this commander after taking his statement in a secret piece of the Koldo García plot, who was an advisor to José Luis Ábalos in the Ministry of Transportation.

The head of the Civil Guard is being investigated for the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization and bribery and the judge has agreed as precautionary measures the prohibition of leaving the national territory and the withdrawal of his passport, so he cannot return to his destination in the Venezuelan Embassy.

Legal sources explained to Europa Press that the commander was previously a member of the Information Services, within the anti-terrorist structure of the Civil Guard. The secret piece that affects him investigates crimes related to the alleged collection of commissions for the sale of masks.

One of the documents from the Central Operational Unit (UCO) that appears in the case summary explains that a conversation took place on September 19, 2023 between the former advisor of former Minister Ábalos, Koldo García, and the alleged 'mastermind' of the plot. , Juan Carlos Cueto, in which mention was made of a friend of the former who is "from the greens", who was stationed in Venezuela and for whom he would have opened "a couple of doors."

Koldo García, in this conversation with Cueto, noticed that a Venezuelan businessman had asked him for help on a topic that did not specify and commented that the businessman wanted to attack the ham of the Víctor de Aldama plot.

At this point, Koldo García reports that he went to see the Venezuelan businessman accompanied by his friend "from the greens" and that he told him that Aldama had scammed and robbed him.

In the summary of the 'Koldo case', another civil guard, Second Lieutenant José Luis Rodríguez, who was assigned to the Ministry of Transportation until his retirement, also appears as being investigated. The investigation points to his relationship with Koldo García and considers him a "key player" in the management of the investigated contracts, since he is credited with having put Juan Carlos Cueto and Víctor de Aldama in contact.