The Spanish judiciary has ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is currently being investigated for influence peddling, judicial sources confirmed today. The asset freeze targets an approximate value of 490,780 euros related to financial transfers originating from a company under investigation in this specific case, according to the same sources cited by various media outlets.
The Spanish justice system revealed on Tuesday in an official statement that Zapatero, prime minister between 2004 and 2011 and former leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, is being investigated. The investigation centers on alleged crimes of influence peddling and other related offenses, and he will be formally heard by a judge on June 2. The National Court of Spain added that the open judicial process explores the 2021 financial bailout of the airline Plus Ultra.
According to the summary of the judicial case, Zapatero is suspected of leading a stable and hierarchical structure of influence peddling to obtain economic benefits through leverage in public bodies. This influence was allegedly exerted in favor of third parties, principally the company Plus Ultra, according to the official documentation. Investigators also suspect the use of shell companies and simulated documentation to exercise illicit influence and conceal funds.
The judicial authorities suspect that Zapatero and his two daughters received 1.95 million euros in irregular commissions within this specific case, involving an enterprise where his daughters are partners and administrators.
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José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, aged 65, strongly guaranteed his complete innocence on Tuesday and promised total cooperation with the ongoing judicial process. He reaffirmed that all his public and private activity has always developed with absolute respect for legality.
Zapatero stated with total forcefulness that he never carried out any management or negotiation with any government or public entity, in Spain or another country, regarding the Plus Ultra bailout.
Plus Ultra, considered a small-scale airline, benefited in 2021 from a 53-million-euro financial rescue package granted as a loan by the Spanish government led by Pedro Sánchez. The government had created a 10-billion-euro strategic fund to assist companies struggling due to Covid-19.
The Spanish government immediately expressed tranquility on Tuesday and absolute respect for the justice system, while emphasizing the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence during this investigation.
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Government spokeswoman and minister Elma Saiz highlighted that the various loans granted to airlines during the pandemic were fully authorized by the European Commission. These processes were validated by the Spanish Court of Auditors and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Saiz added that these operations were absolutely transparent and entirely similar to the financial mechanisms adopted by other European nations during the global health crisis.
Pedro Sánchez expressed on Wednesday during a parliamentary debate his total cooperation with the judiciary, total respect for the presumption of innocence, and total support for President Zapatero. Sánchez was responding to the Popular Party, the main opposition force in Spain, which considers the situation extremely grave.
The right-wing opposition argues that the current prime minister should resign or be ousted through a motion of no confidence, appealing to coalition partners to withdraw their support.
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The leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, considered on Wednesday that Zapatero could only have committed the alleged crimes in direct collaboration with the council of ministers. The council of ministers was the official executive body where the Plus Ultra bailout was formally approved.
Zapatero was one of the major supporters of Sánchez during the last Spanish general elections in July 2023, being described by the press as a great electoral asset.
This judicial investigation adds to other cases involving individuals close to Pedro Sánchez, including a former minister, former party leaders, his brother, and his wife. In a message to his party on Tuesday, Sánchez acknowledged these are hard times but called for Zapatero’s defense.
