Spanish Ex-PM Zapatero Placed Under Investigation for Influence Peddling in First Such Case Since Franco Era

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. Zapatero 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 at the time, with opposition parties questioning the airline's financial situation and its links to Venezuela. Now, that controversy has escalated into a formal criminal investigation of a former head of government. This is the first time 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.

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 Sánchez, 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.

So a former Socialist prime minister is under investigation for influence peddling. The case involves a pandemic-era loan to an airline with links to Venezuela. Zapatero says he took no commissions. The court wants to hear from him on 2 June. The opposition is demanding answers from the current prime minister, who is already dealing with corruption investigations involving his own administration and his wife. Spanish politics, never exactly calm, is now entering uncharted territory. A former head of government under formal investigation for the first time in five decades. That is not just a headline. That is a landmark. And the questions are only beginning.

Written by Freya Stensrud