José Luis Ábalos, former minister and former Secretary of Organisation of the PSOE, currently in provisional detention at Soto del Real prison, has requested that the Mesa del Congreso de los Diputados reevaluates its decision to suspend his parliamentary rights and duties, made on 10 December. Ábalos believes this decision is inappropriate, as the appeal he filed with the Supreme Court on 4 December regarding the prison order issued on 27 November has yet to be resolved. This request was communicated through his X account, where he shared the document addressed to the governing body of the Lower House, dated 31 December, in which he asks to be reinstated until the hearing scheduled for 15 January, the date on which the second chamber of the Supreme Court will review his appeal. Ábalos asserts that the suspension violates democratic principles and the rule of law, and undermines public trust in institutions and the impartiality necessary for a parliamentary and representative democracy. The Mesa del Congreso approved his suspension on 10 December, following the Supreme Court’s confirmation of his indictment for crimes such as organised crime, bribery, and embezzlement. This decision, based on Article 21.2 of the Congress Regulations, involves the loss of the right to vote, financial remuneration, and removal from social protection coverage.
