Spain - May 2026
Former PM Zapatero placed under criminal investigation in corruption probe
On 19 May, the National Court (Audiencia Nacional) announced that former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero had been placed under judicial investigation for alleged influence peddling and related offences linked to the 2021 state bailout of the airline Plus Ultra. This made Zapatero, a member of the ruling Socialist Party, the first former Spanish prime minister in the democratic era (since 1975) to be formally investigated in a criminal case. Zapatero denied all allegations, stating he never intervened in the bailout decision and that payments he received were lawful consulting fees. The investigation is ongoing.
Update: In June, the investigating judge kept Zapatero under formal investigation in the Plus Ultra case, citing ‘sufficient indications’, while he testified before court denying any wrongdoing and sought to annul parts of the proceedings over alleged procedural violations. The prosecution also opened a separate investigation after undeclared luxury jewelry was discovered during a May search of his office, also prompting, in July, the opening of tax and smuggling inquiries covering his 2021–2024 finances. Both cases remain under investigation.
