Spanish ex-PM Zapatero under investigation for alleged influence peddling, court says

Spain's former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been placed under investigation for alleged influence peddling and related crimes, a court said on Tuesday.

Zapatero, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2011, has been summoned to testify on 2 June, Spain's top criminal court said in a statement.

The case centres on the bailout of Venezuela-linked airline Plus Ultra during the COVID-19 pandemic, years after Zapatero had left office.

The airline received a €53 million public loan in March 2021 from a government fund set up to support strategic companies hit by the crisis.

He denied any wrongdoing related to the bailout in a Senate hearing in March, saying he "never received any commissions from Plus Ultra."

The rescue of Plus Ultra sparked controversy in Spain, with opposition parties questioning the airline's financial situation and its links to Venezuela.

This is the first time that a former Spanish prime minister has been placed under formal investigation since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

PP demands explanations

The conservative People's Party (PP) has demanded an urgent explanation from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez after details of the Zapatero case emerged.

In a tweet on X, the secretary general of the opposition party, Miguel Tellado, said: "We are not only talking about the former Prime Minister, but also about Sánchez's main adviser. The government has to give explanations now."

The news comes amid a political storm for the head of the Spanish government, who is already facing several corruption scandals.

Among them is the so-called Koldo case, a judicial investigation into alleged irregularities in the awarding of public contracts during the pandemic that involves former officials linked to the Ministry of Transport.

An investigation is also under way into Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, for her professional activities and possible conflicts of interest. Both cases have intensified political pressure on the government in recent months and have fuelled criticism from the opposition, which is demanding greater transparency.