A press report outlines the intricacies of the Ábalos-Koldo plot and the Delcygate, a complex web of transnational corruption allegedly involving funds from Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), supposedly engaging in irregular business with the corrupt Spain of Pedro Sánchez and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
The report describes how political and business figures in Spain intertwine with the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, starting from the Ábalos-Koldo case and the Delcygate. It further examines alleged irregularities in Spanish public contracts and suggests illicit financial connections through countries like the Dominican Republic and Switzerland, with PDVSA as a possible source of the funds.
Additionally, a parallel scheme involving former Spanish president Rodríguez Zapatero, the tech company Huawei, and the National Intelligence Center (CNI) is disclosed, pointing to presumed lobby activities aimed at integrating the Chinese company into critical Spanish state systems without proper certifications, along with potential electoral manipulations. This investigation has sparked significant political repercussions in Spain, leading to resignations and expulsions of members from the PSOE.
Delcygate: the origin of it all
The Delcygate scandal in 2020, when Nicolasa Maduro’s vice president and current Minister of Hydrocarbons, Delcy Rodríguez, met with José Luis Ábalos, who was then the Minister of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda in Pedro Sánchez’s government, at Madrid’s Barajas airport, unraveled a thread of alleged irregularities being investigated by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil at the request of Spanish justice.
This meeting, organized by businessman Víctor de Aldama, an alleged plot mediator, was linked to business negotiations including the purchase of 104 gold bars for USD 68.5 million by Bancasa S.A. and an attempt to recover a debt of USD 200 million owed by the Venezuelan government to Air Europa. The UCO has provided evidence suggesting that Pedro Sánchez was informed beforehand, which he denied.
The aforementioned Rodríguez-Ábalos meeting violated European Union sanctions and revealed that Delcy Rodríguez’s role as Venezuelan vice president positions her as a key link between Maduro’s regime and Spanish figures.
The report on the Ábalos-Koldo plot and the Delcygate indicates that initial investigations focused on irregularities in contracts for masks during the COVID-19 pandemic —known in Spain as the Koldo case— from where it escalated and currently encompasses crimes of embezzlement, influence peddling, bribery, and organized crime.
The connection and actions of the actors in the Ábalos-Koldo plot and the Delcygate allegedly transformed Spain into a hub of corrupt operations.
Context of the Ábalos-Koldo case and the Delcygate
Case Ábalos-Koldo and its connection with Delcygate and Venezuelan political power
The UCO investigation began on February 28, 2024, following a series of raids carried out on February 20, 2024, which led to 14 arrests, 10 investigations, and 26 searches. These events unveiled a network of manipulation of public contracts managed by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda (MITMA), the Administrator of Railway Infrastructures (ADIF), and the General Directorate of Highways, with irregularities dating back to 2015 until 2024.
The 2025 UCO report details a corruption scheme that includes manipulation of tenders, illegal payments, and influence peddling, with transnational connections to Venezuela.
UCO investigations also suggest that Venezuela is the epicenter of illicit funds, with PDVSA as the main source. Venezuelan protagonists involved play various roles, from political links to figures mentioned in speculative businesses.
We have:
- Delcy Rodríguez: vice president of Venezuela and central figure in the Delcygate.
- Nicolás Maduro: illegitimate president of Venezuela and leader of the regime who, although not directly involved in the Koldo case, seems to have allowed the diversion of PDVSA funds supposedly financing activities in Spain.
- Jorge Rodríguez: Venezuelan politician, brother of Delcy, president of the National Assembly, and co-founder of the Puebla Group. His participation in this forum alongside Zapatero and Samper “reinforces ideological connections between Chavismo and Spanish figures.”
- Reinaldo Díez Esparza: former PDVSA official, hired by Servinabar, —company of former PSOE organization secretary, Santos Cerdán— in November 2019, two months before the Delcygate, suggesting a “direct link between the Spanish political environment and PDVSA.”
- Rafael Ramírez: former PDVSA president (2004-2014), who in 2018 claimed Zapatero “received contracts from PDVSA, implying irregular payments.” Aldama also claimed to have evidence of multimillion-dollar payments from PDVSA to Zapatero. Ramírez “led a corruption network in PDVSA, diverting funds through offshore companies in the Dominican Republic and Switzerland, similar to Aldama’s operations.”
- Juan Guaidó: former interim president of Venezuela from 2019 to 2023, linked through an April 2019 audio where Koldo García offered Ábalos a “commission of 500,000 euros per month for a business with a Venezuelan oil company under Guaidó’s control.” This business did not materialize, and there is no evidence of his direct involvement.
- Leopoldo López: leader of Voluntad Popular and mentor to Guaidó. His connection is indirect through the latter, without direct evidence of his involvement in the case.
Transnational connections and irregular contracts
The report on the Ábalos-Koldo plot and Delcygate shows how this network operated transnationally, channeling funds through several countries, namely:
- Dominican Republic: transfers of € 800,000 to Global Stratos Investments for “simulated services.” Aldama organized clandestine trips for Rodríguez Zapatero with layovers.
- Portugal: Aldama created seven offshore companies between 2022 and 2023 to move money.
- Switzerland: established as a financial center for gold purchases and money laundering.
- Brazil: channeling of funds via Banco Itau BBA.
- China: business dealings of Rodríguez Zapatero, with potential fund channelling.
- Turkey: transit destination in the Delcygate.
- Colombia: political connection through Ernesto Samper in the Puebla Group.
Additionally, the UCO report of 2025 cites irregularities in public contracts managed by MITMA, ADIF, and the General Directorate of Highways:
- Discretionary awards: Koldo and Ábalos manipulated tenders to favor companies like ACCIONA, OPR, and LIC, with contracts worth € 700 million pre-assigned.
- Illegal payments: Ábalos and Koldo received € 620,000 from ACCIONA, managed by Cerdán. Aldama paid € 10,000 monthly to Koldo. José Ruz (LIC) and the Fernández Menéndez brothers (OPR) also made payments.
- Manipulation of scores: favored companies received high technical scores to avoid disqualifications.
- Covert communications: use of “disposable phones and keywords like ‘coffee’ to conceal activities.”
The following table summarizes the highlighted irregular contracts:
ProjectBenefited CompanyValue (euros)Details
- A-68 LogroñoACCIONA92.416.975,61 Coordination to ensure award.
- Puente del Centenario (Sevilla)ACCIONA102.829.873,28Pressure to expedite contract.
- Murcia (railway)ACCIONA/FERROVIAL158.801.001,18Payments of € 550,000 to Ábalos and Koldo.
- Sant Feliu de LlobregatACCIONA62.026.420,15High technical score.
- Asturias (emergency)LIC592.053Discretionary award.
Accusations of electoral manipulation with PDVSA funds
Moreover, the report also mentions that investigations by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil highlight accusations of electoral manipulation linked to the 2019 Spanish general elections. Allegations of irregularities in vote counting facilitated by Indra, the tech company responsible for electoral systems, are suggested.
Investigations indicate that Víctor de Aldama and José Luis Ábalos could be implicated, with claims that “they used illicit funds, possibly from PDVSA, to influence electoral outcomes.”
These alleged facts are under investigation, but “broaden the case beyond contracts to democratic integrity, with significant political implications.”
The Chinese connection: Huawei, Rodríguez Zapatero, and CNI
Similarly, the press report states that, in parallel to the links with Venezuela, a web emerges connecting José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Chinese businessman Fangyong Du, the tech company Huawei, and the intervention of Spain’s National Intelligence Center (CNI).
The main concern revolves around Huawei’s influence in critical state systems, lobby activities promoted by José Luis Zapatero and his daughters, and opaque connections with figures involved in the Koldo case, such as Víctor de Aldama.
Political repercussions
The Ábalos-Koldo plot and Delcygate case has generated —and continues to generate— significant political impact in Spain, resulting in resignations and expulsions from the PSOE in 2025, like those of Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, respectively.
Meanwhile, allegations of Venezuelan financing to PSOE, including Pedro Sánchez’s election as secretary general of the Socialist International in 2022, are “controversial and lack judicial confirmation.”
The Huawei-Rodríguez Zapatero-CNI connection suggests risks of Chinese espionage in sensitive systems, as well as the use of intermediaries like Aldama to channel payments or political influence. This turns the matter into a national security issue.
The democratic integrity is not left behind with the allegations of electoral manipulation.