José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the former Spanish prime minister, has been placed under criminal investigation for alleged influence-peddling and other offences related to the state bailout of a Venezuela-linked airline during the Covid-19 pandemic. The investigation, conducted by Spain's highest criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, marks the first time a former Spanish prime minister has been subjected to such scrutiny.
Details of the Investigation
The probe focuses on the €53 million (£46 million) rescue of Plus Ultra airline in March 2021. Prosecutors are examining whether the company made “inadequate use” of public funds approved for the bailout. Anti-corruption police are also investigating whether the airline used the rescue money to launder funds from Venezuela through France, Switzerland, and Spain.
According to the investigating judge, Zapatero is alleged to have overseen “a hierarchical structure of influence peddling” aimed at “obtaining economic benefits through intermediation and the exercise of influence before public bodies in favour of third parties, mainly Plus Ultra.”
Zapatero's Response
Zapatero, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, has denied any wrongdoing. In a video statement, he reaffirmed his innocence and expressed willingness to cooperate with the investigation. “I’d like to reaffirm that all my public and private activity has always been conducted with absolute respect for the law,” he said, adding that he had never carried out “any action” relating to the airline’s bailout.
His denials echoed his appearance before a senate committee in March, where he stated he “had never taken any commissions from Plus Ultra.” However, he acknowledged doing consultancy work for his friend Julio Martínez Martínez, a businessman who worked with Plus Ultra and was arrested by anti-corruption officers in December last year.
Plus Ultra's Position
Plus Ultra’s president, Julio Martínez Sola, insisted before the senate committee that the bailout was conducted in full compliance with the law. “There was no exceptional procedure outside the norm; there was no preferential treatment or undue interference; there was no illicit aid,” he said. “There was a regulated process, with controls, reports, and very strict conditions that have been met. Nobody has given us anything for free.”
Context: Broader Corruption Allegations
The investigation into Zapatero comes amid a series of corruption allegations involving the current socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, his family, and his administration. Last month, Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, was charged with embezzlement, influence-peddling, corruption in business dealings, and misappropriation of funds. The prime minister’s younger brother, David Sánchez, also faces trial on charges of influence-peddling. Both deny any wrongdoing.
Additionally, two senior former figures in Sánchez’s government are on trial for alleged corruption. Former transport minister José Luis Ábalos and his former aide Koldo García are accused of taking kickbacks on public contracts for sanitary equipment during the Covid pandemic. They face sentences of 24 and 19 years respectively, while businessman Víctor de Aldama, who has admitted to his role, faces seven years.
Political Reactions
The socialist party issued a statement supporting Zapatero, calling him a pioneering prime minister whose “two terms were defined by an ambitious programme to expand rights, equality, and social protection.” It added, “The right and the far right have never forgiven him for these advances.”
The opposition conservative People’s party described Zapatero as “Sánchez’s muse” and said, “the principle that links Spain’s two most recent socialist prime ministers is corruption … this indecency must end.”
