Spanish ex-PM Zapatero faces separate probe over €1.3 million jewellery found in his office
A Spanish judge has opened a separate investigation into former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero after jewellery valued at €1.3 million was seized from his office, adding tax evasion and smuggling charges to an existing corruption case.
A Spanish High Court judge opened a separate investigation into former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero over jewellery seized from his office, adding tax evasion and smuggling charges to an earlier corruption case linked to the 2021 bailout of airline Plus Ultra. The jewellery, provisionally valued at €1.3 million, lacks documented origin, according to a court statement released on Friday.
New charges emerge
Judge José Luis Calama announced the separate probe on 12 June, citing the absence of customs documents or evidence that import duties were paid. The jewellery was found during a 19 May search of Zapatero's office. The former prime minister's spokesperson, Luis Arroyo, initially said the items were an inheritance worth no more than €50,000, but an independent appraisal later put the value at over one million euros.
This is all a way of entangling. He has lied to many people: to his party, to his colleagues, to members and to Spaniards. He had such a clear idea of where the jewellery came from.
Zapatero had been due to testify on 17 and 18 June in the corruption case centred on an influence-peddling network that allegedly benefited from lobbying for Plus Ultra. On Monday, his legal team asked to postpone the testimony related to the jewellery, saying more time was needed to gather documents proving their origin.
- Jewellery found during search of Zapatero's office.
- Initial testimony date postponed to 17-18 June.
- Separate jewellery probe opened; valuation revealed at €1.3m.
- Zapatero requests delay on jewellery testimony; charged with tax evasion and smuggling.
- Scheduled testimony on Plus Ultra influence-peddling case.
Party unease grows
The new imputation landed like a sledgehammer blow within the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE), where several regional leaders are pressing for the party to distance itself from Zapatero. While Pedro Sánchez defended the presumption of innocence behind closed doors during a party executive meeting, Moncloa and the party leadership declined to comment publicly on the jewellery revelations.
The jewellery matter is the most serious, the most graphic, and what has hurt the membership the most. Sentimentally it's a very big blow, and perhaps it's advisable to start marking distances.
At a press conference, Organizational Secretary Rebeca Torró said the party would wait for Zapatero's testimony, describing it as determinative, but she admitted that the leadership was also eager for him to explain.
Conservative attacks and legal strategy
The conservative People's Party (PP) seized on the contradictions. Spokesperson Ester Muñoz accused Zapatero of spreading suspicion and having no shame, noting that he had previously claimed to have so little wealth he did not need to declare it. The PP also pointed out that any increase in assets must be taxed under Spanish law.
The government and PSOE have tried to differentiate Judge Calama from the judge handling the separate Begoña Gómez case, arguing that Calama's investigation is not part of a campaign of judicial harassment. However, sources in Ferraz acknowledged that the jewellery revelations have reshaped the party's internal debate, with many now questioning whether Zapatero's conduct was morally acceptable, even if it does not constitute a crime.
