Overview
- Investigating judge José Luis Calama questioned former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero on Wednesday and left him formally under investigation for alleged illegal influence, money laundering and leading a criminal organisation without imposing travel restrictions.
- The inquiry was expanded on Thursday to include Zapatero’s adult daughters after the judge said their company played a central role in concealing transactions tied to the contested €53 million state rescue of airline Plus Ultra.
- Police searches in mid‑May recovered more than 100 pieces of jewellery from Zapatero’s safes and a PSOE office, a court‑ordered appraisal valued them at about €1.3 million and investigators have opened new lines of inquiry into smuggling and tax evasion.
- Prosecutors say U.S. Department of Homeland Security phone excerpts from businessman Rodolfo Reyes and accounting records link opaque payment flows to Zapatero’s network, and auditors have confirmed a roughly €530,000 commission paid to a firm tied to his daughters.
- The scandal is deepening strain on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority government as opposition parties demand elections and the PSOE calls the cases politically motivated, while legal rules on declaring gifts and a five‑year tax statute of limitations will shape next steps.