Overview
- El Confidencial reported that secret judicial investigations link former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to large-scale money laundering, citing shell companies, frontmen, hidden real-estate assets, and alleged commissions for mediating with public bodies.
- In response, the Partido Popular filed five written questions in Congress asking if the government knows of any probe, whether Zapatero acted as a go-between for firms seeking public aid or contracts, and which officials and companies were involved.
- PP leader Cuca Gamarra said Zapatero could not have acted without Pedro Sánchez and pressed for explanations from Sánchez and María Jesús Montero, framing the matter as a test of accountability.
- Separately in the Senate, former SEPI executive José Ángel Partearroyo defended the 53‑million‑euro state rescue of the airline Plus Ultra as following normal procedure and acknowledged SEPI chose not to draft internal financial reports for the bailout.
- The government has not confirmed any investigation and now faces weeks to respond in writing, while coverage ranges from El Mundo’s focus on political blame to La Vanguardia’s emphasis on the formal oversight steps and the pending answers.