Former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero — who ruled between 2004-2011 and comes from the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party of current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez — is set to be charged for allegedly misusing funds to bail out an airline during the Covid-19 pandemic. He is also being formally investigated for ties to criminal organizations, including a money-laundering network.
The timing is horrible for Sánchez, as he faces backlash over his mass naturalization of illegal immigrants, criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump, and rising migrant crime across Spain. Right-wing VOX leader Santiago Abascal is hitting back, claiming the Zapatero case is simply proof of the “mafia” still in control of Spain.
In 2020, the Spanish state used €53 million through the state holding company SEPI to bail out Plus Ultra. Zapatero is accused of having put pressure on Minister of Transport Jose Luis Abalos to approve the bailout.
Spain’s National Police’s Central Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) is awaiting the next step to be decided by National Court Magistrate José Luis Calama, following the actions carried out in recent hours, indicating that “there is sufficient evidence to do so.”
After the searches and the collection of evidence, the focus is now on the judicial decisions that may be made in the short term, according to El Independiente, as cited by Gaceta.
Sources say that neither the National Police nor the Civil Guard would act on their own without judicial authorization from the investigating judge to arrest Zapatero, which in this case is Calama.
In the meantime, Zapatero’s office in Madrid and three other premises have already been searched, and a string of arrests were made back in December, with one figure detained, businessman Julio Martinez Martinez, said to be key to the connection between Zapatero and Plus Ultra.
Zapatero has denied any wrongdoing, but the case is bad news for Sánchez.
“The case puts more pressure on Sanchez, who is already dogged by a corruption investigation into alleged kickbacks paid out to key members of his inner circle, as well as probes involving his wife and his brother,” wrote Reuters.
President of VOX, Santiago Abascal, addressed the issue on social media. “The indictment of former President Zapatero is not an isolated incident. It is yet another episode in the Sánchez government. It is further proof that Pedro Sánchez is the mastermind behind all corruption schemes,” he stated on X.
La imputación del expresidente Zapatero no es un hecho aislado. Es un episodio más del Gobierno de Sánchez. Es una nueva demostración de que Pedro Sánchez es el número 1 de todas las tramas de corrupción.
Por eso, como ya he dicho en varias ocasiones, creo que es necesaria una…
— Santiago Abascal 🇪🇸 (@Santi_ABASCAL) May 19, 2026“That is why, as I have said on several occasions, I believe a motion of censure is necessary to expose to the Spanish people the full extent of the mafia and the position of all the deputies with respect to it,” he added.
