The monsters of reason

The sleep of reason produces monsters. Francisco de Goya warned us of this in one of the etchings in his series The Caprichos , which depicts a man leaning on a table with his face hidden by his arms. What the Aragonese painter didn't warn us about are the nightmares of unreason, which reproduce even more horrific creatures.

This Wednesday, the socialist Leire Díez called the press to defend her investigations into the state's sewers – "I'm neither a plumber nor a coward" – with which she intended to smear the head of the UCO, and there appeared Víctor de Aldama, a corrupt businessman (sorry, commissioner), whom the judge released because he assured her he would collaborate in the so-called Koldo case, although he has only provided accusations and no evidence.

He wasn't invited to the event, nor was he expected to be (or was he?), but he showed up to ruin it, turning it into a farce that would have inspired Valle-Inclán, who captured the grotesque situations like no one else. He didn't limit himself to a cameo in the farce; he became the protagonist of the frenzy, shouting, "Let's see if Mr. Feijóo finally does what he has to do and ousts this government," although it's unclear whether that's what he came out of prison for.

Aldama was released after promising to collaborate in the Koldo case, but he has not provided a single piece of evidence.

And no one, unless he is just another monster produced by reason or madness, understands why the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office facilitated Aldama's release from prison, where the judge had sent him for hydrocarbon fraud (he allegedly failed to pay 180 million in VAT), given his promise to cooperate with the justice system to shed light on the Koldo case, a corruption investigation implicating former minister José Luis Ábalos. But half a year after his release, he hasn't provided a single piece of evidence implicating anyone from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), despite making several radio and television station appearances while giving press interviews. He has even been escorted by Daniel Esteve, the owner of Desokupa, as a bodyguard, with whom he has been involved in other embarrassments.

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And there's Aldama, like the Puerta de Alcalá, watching time pass like a free man in exchange for telling everything. But so far, he's only contributed monster stories. Poorly written and with no illustrations.