Ex-Spanish PM Zapatero Under Investigation

Spain’s National Court has opened an investigation into former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over alleged influence peddling and related offenses linked to the Plus Ultra airline bailout, according to Euronews. Zapatero is due to testify on 2 June.

The case concerns 53 million euros in state aid granted to the airline in March 2021 through a COVID-19 rescue fund for strategic companies affected by the pandemic. Opposition parties have long questioned both the company’s financial situation and its links to Venezuela.

At a Senate hearing in March, Zapatero denied wrongdoing and said he had “never received any commissions” from the company.

The conservative Popular Party called for an explanation from Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after the investigation became public. The party’s secretary general, Miguel Tellado, described Zapatero as a “chief advisor to Sanchez”.

The case adds to political pressure on Sánchez’s government, which is also facing other corruption investigations linked to pandemic-era contracts and activities involving Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez.

(max)