Overview
- Investigating judges have opened a probe into former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and police seized more than 100 luxury items from a safe in his office as part of inquiries linked to a €53 million pandemic rescue for airline Plus Ultra.
- The Guardia Civil visited the PSOE headquarters in Madrid and formally demanded documents on Wednesday in a separate court order focused on possible illegal party financing and links to former party figures such as Santos Cerdán and Leire Díez.
- Judicial filings allege roughly €2 million in commissions and as much as €16 million was moved from the Plus Ultra aid to foreign accounts in Switzerland, Montenegro, Gibraltar and Mauritius, and investigators say French, Swiss and U.S. agencies have supplied related leads and intercepted calls.
- Pedro Sánchez denies personal wrongdoing, says his government will cooperate with the courts, and has refused calls for early elections even as tens of thousands have demonstrated in Madrid and some former coalition partners press for a vote.
- The cases are active and multi‑front: David Sánchez’s trial has begun, investigations into Sánchez’s wife and other close associates continue, and the spread of evidence across borders raises the chance of further detentions, asset freezes and court hearings in the coming weeks.