Former Spanish PM Zapatero investigated as alleged leader of influence-peddling ring
Investigators are examining alleged commissions and money laundering tied to a €53 million bailout, and Zapatero has been summoned to testify.
- Spain's National Court placed former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under investigation on Tuesday for alleged influence peddling tied to a 2021 airline bailout, with police searching his office and summoning him to testify June 2.
- In March 2021, the Venezuela-linked airline Plus Ultra received €53 million from a government COVID-19 recovery fund, the transaction now at the center of the judicial probe.
- Zapatero, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, denied any wrongdoing during a Senate hearing in March, stating he "never received any commissions from Plus Ultra."
- Opposition People's Party official Miguel Tellado demanded urgent explanations from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, saying "We are not only talking about the former Prime Minister, but also about Sánchez's main adviser."
- This marks the first formal investigation into a former Spanish prime minister since 1975, occurring as Sánchez's government faces intense political pressure from other ongoing corruption scandals.
155 Articles
155 Articles
Another Spanish Socialist Charged With Money Laundering and Influence Peddling – Former Prime Minister and Key Sánchez Ally, Zapatero Has His Offices Raided by Police
Zapatero is another Spanish Socialist falling in disgrace – Wiki Commons Socialists in Spain are floundering. Still reeling from the successive electoral defeats, embattled Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Socialist party have another problem to deal with: his key ally (and former Prime Minister) José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been raided by the police and charged with money laundering, influence peddling and other criminal offense…
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former president of the government of Spain, is the first president formally accused of trading in influence in a plot related to the rescue of an airline used by the dictatorship of Venezuela for the alleged money laundering. The National High Court cites Rodriguez Zapatero to declare for the Plus Ultra case The National High Court revealed the accusation and summoned the ex-mandator emanating from the Spanish Soci…
Former Spanish PM Zapatero Named in Corruption Probe
Former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been named as a suspect in a corruption investigation linked to the €53 million state bailout of airline Plus Ultra, deepening the political crisis surrounding Spain’s ruling Socialist Party. Spanish judges are examining whether political influence was used to secure the pandemic-era rescue package and whether parts of the operation involved money laundering and influence peddling. Z…
The former Spanish head of government is targeted for the controversial rescue of the airline Plus Ultra, bailed out with 53 million euros in 2021.
The National High Court's Central Investigation Court No. 4 has summoned former government president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to testify in the context of the investigation of the Plus Ultra case. As reported by the judicial body on Tuesday, the former leader will appear on June 2 as an investigator for alleged crimes related to influence trafficking, money laundering and other possible crimes linked to the case.This is the first time in the…
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