Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is appearing before a judge in Madrid on Wednesday in connection with his alleged role in a government airline bailout and links to jewelry discovered during a police raid on his office.
This marks Zapatero's first appearance before the National Court judge since he was placed under investigation last month for alleged influence peddling, money laundering, and other possible financial wrongdoing related to the Spanish government's rescue of Plus Ultra airline.
Zapatero, 65, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, had been out of public office for a decade when Plus Ultra received 53 million euros ($61.5 million) in public funds in 2021 from a COVID-19 recovery fund.
Judge Jose Luis Calama is also examining a possible case of tax fraud and dealing in contraband linked to jewelry worth 1.3 million euros discovered in a safe by police during a search of Zapatero's office in May.
Zapatero has denied any wrongdoing in the airline case and has stated that the jewelry was inherited or received as gifts.
Zapatero remains an influential figure in the Socialist party led by current Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, whose party has faced corruption scandals over the past two years. Plus Ultra, which had investors from Venezuela, specialized in flights between Spain and South America.
Since leaving office, Zapatero has focused much of his activity on maintaining dialogue with the government in Venezuela, which has been largely isolated from Western countries after cracking down on the democratic opposition.
In Spain, an investigative judge probes suspicions of a crime and can recommend a case go to trial if sufficient evidence exists. A different judge then oversees the trial phase, a process that can take months or longer.
