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Spanish Courts Raid PSOE Headquarters as Plus Ultra Bailout Probe Expands

Searches and a formal inquiry into former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero have intensified pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s fragile coalition after recent electoral setbacks.

MADRID, SPAIN - JULY 30: Atmosphere outside the Moncloa Palace on the day of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's statement in Madrid, Spain on July 30, 2024. Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is investigating the case of Begona Gomez, the wife of Pedro Sanchez, President of the Spanish government, for possible influence peddling and corruption in business, goes to the Presidential Palace of Spain, La Moncloa, to take a personal statement as a witness from Pedro Sanchez. (Photo by Diego Radames/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Sánchez originally came to power on an anti-corruption ticket in 2018 after a corruption scandal brought down the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy

Overview

  • Spain’s National Court and the Guardia Civil executed searches of the Socialist Party’s Madrid headquarters and seized documents as part of widening anti-corruption investigations.
  • Judges have opened a formal probe into José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero over alleged payments tied to the €53 million 2021 Plus Ultra bailout, and he has been summoned to testify in ongoing proceedings.
  • Party financial manager Ana Fuentes has been indicted in the inquiries, and separate cases have produced charges or trials for people close to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, including members of his family.
  • The scandals have translated into political costs for the Socialists, with losses in recent local elections, mounting opposition demands for Sánchez’s resignation, and strain on his minority coalition even as he says the government will cooperate with justice and respect presumption of innocence.
  • Investigators have used the Guardia Civil’s elite Central Operative Unit and reported international assistance in gathering evidence, and the Audiencia Nacional continues to develop complex cross-border economic and influence-peddling allegations that could reshape Spain’s political balance.