Ex-Spain PM Zapatero Faces Court in Corruption Hearing

Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero testified Wednesday before the country's highest criminal court, categorically denying allegations that he orchestrated an influence-peddling scheme tied to a multimillion-euro airline bailout.

The Spanish news outlet InfoLibre reported that during a three-hour hearing at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid, Zapatero formally faced four criminal charges: influence peddling, money laundering, tax fraud, and smuggling.

Investigating judge José Luis Calama alleges that Zapatero sat at the "apex" of a "stable and organized structure" that traded high-level institutional and business influence for payments. 

The probe centers on a 53 million euros ($61.5 million) government bailout granted by the state holding company SEPI to Plus Ultra, an airline with ties to Venezuelan businessmen.

The judge’s suspicions are partly based on communications intercepted by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations from Rodolfo Reyes Rojas, Plus Ultra’s former majority shareholder. In one message, the businessman allegedly wrote: "What I want is for him or Zapatero to talk to SEPI and get at least a verbal 100 percent guarantee that they'll grant the aid."

Answering only questions from the judge and his defense attorney, Víctor Moreno Catena, Zapatero denied any contact with government officials or airline executives regarding the rescue funds. According to legal sources, Zapatero stated he did not meet Plus Ultra's current president, Julio Martínez Sola, until 2024—three years after the bailout was approved.

Zapatero also distanced himself from a contract between Plus Ultra and a consulting firm run by his friend, Julio Martínez Martínez. The agreement granted the firm a 1 percent commission on the state aid, amounting to 530,000 euros ($614,679).

The judge alleges Zapatero gave "instructions" to set up an offshore company to manage funds. According to an exclusive investigation by infoLibre, that shell company—Dubái Landside Middle East FZCO—was registered in the United Arab Emirates just eight days after the Spanish cabinet approved the bailout.

Investigators connect the broader plot to payments totaling 490,780 euros made to Zapatero, and 239,755 euros made to his daughters' design agency, WhaTheFav, over six years by a consulting firm tied to the network. Zapatero acknowledged his friendship with Martínez Martínez but distanced himself from his corporate web, testifying that the payments were for legitimate professional consulting and layout work.

During Wednesday's hearing, Zapatero declined to comment on a separate branch of the investigation involving jewelry seized from a safe in his professional office.

Following his court appearance, Zapatero released a defiant public statement, announcing he had submitted a "voluntary universal authorization" allowing the court full access to verify he holds no hidden assets.

"I have been silent for 29 days, preparing for this moment and those to come. I remained quiet out of respect for justice and for His Honor, who had to be the first to hear me," Zapatero said in the statement. "I am accused of very serious crimes that I have not committed. I have always conducted myself with decency and honesty, and now I have the task of proving it."

Emphasizing that he has "absolutely nothing outside of Spain," the former leader asked the public for patience.

"When one knows they are completely innocent, as is my case, and fully trusts in justice, the most painful thing is knowing that many people may feel disappointed if they believe the things being said about me," he said. "I ask for your trust. I will not disappoint you. It may take more or less time to prove it, but the truth will break through."