In an unprecedented development for modern Spanish politics, former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been formally placed under investigation for tax fraud and smuggling, following the recovery of €1.2 million worth of luxury watches and jewelry from his office during a recent search linked to a separate corruption probe.
Zapatero, who held the nation’s top office from 2004 to 2011 and remains a powerful, influential figure within the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) led by his close ally current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, was already under investigation for alleged influence peddling connected to the 2021 €53 million government bailout of struggling Spanish airline Plus Ultra. The bailout was approved as part of a national state fund created to support strategically important businesses impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of that ongoing influence peddling inquiry, Spanish National Police executed a raid on Zapatero’s private office last month. During the search, investigators uncovered a cache of high-end gold jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings studded with sapphires and emeralds, sourced from Zambia and Thailand according to Spanish media reports. The total estimated value of the seized items comes to roughly €1.2 million, equivalent to £1.02 million.
Investigators have confirmed that their new probe centers on suspicions that Zapatero cannot provide valid documentation proving he paid required customs duties for the luxury goods. Close associates of the former prime minister have told reporters the collection of jewelry is inherited family property, and Zapatero’s official spokesperson Luis Arroyo has stated that the former leader “will provide full explanations before the judge” regarding the seized items. Zapatero has been formally summoned to give testimony before a court later this month.
This new investigation marks a historic moment in recent Spanish politics: it is the first time any former Spanish prime minister has been subjected to a formal criminal probe. The development is also the latest in a string of damaging corruption scandals to hit the ruling PSOE. Last month, police also raided the party’s central Madrid headquarters, seizing a range of relevant documents, and carried out coordinated searches at the private residences of senior party officials and a prominent Spanish business leader. Multiple close associates of Sánchez, including the prime minister’s wife and brother, currently face separate corruption-related charges, all of which they have vigorously denied. Zapatero has also repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing Plus Ultra influence peddling case, stating he never accepted any improper payments in exchange for intervening to secure the airline bailout.