Former president Zapatero testifies before Supreme Court and denies corruption charges against him
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appeared before the Spanish Supreme Court and denied all corruption accusations in a case investigating alleged influence-trafficking and money-laundering.
Former president Zapatero testifies before Supreme Court and denies corruption charges against him
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who served as head of the Spanish Government between 2004 and 2011, appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday to testify as an investigated party. He is the first former Spanish head of government to be the subject of an official investigation since the return of democracy.
The socialist politician, who remains a prominent figure within the PSOE and an ally of current president Pedro Sánchez, is being investigated for his alleged participation in a network engaged in influence-trafficking and money-laundering. According to suspicions, he would have exercised pressure on public bodies for the benefit of third parties. One of the companies that would have benefited is the airline Plus Ultra, which received 53 million euros in a rescue package during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Zapatero arrived at the high court by car, wearing a dark blue suit and matching tie, and entered the building through a pedestrian entrance closed to the public. His testimony before magistrate José Luis Calama lasted three and a half hours.
Following his appearance, the former president issued a statement rejecting the accusations: "I am accused of very serious crimes that I did not commit." He added that he had voluntarily handed over to the court a general authorisation to demonstrate that he does not own companies or assets outside Spain. "I have always behaved with decorum and honesty, and now that I have before me the duty to prove it, I will do so with absolute transparency," he stated.
Last week, investigating magistrate Calama opened a separate investigation into jewellery found during a search of Zapatero's office, whose provisional value is estimated at approximately 1.3 million euros. For the moment there is no documented evidence as to its origin, so possible violations of tax fraud or smuggling are being considered. During Wednesday's testimony, when the judge questioned him about the jewellery, Zapatero invoked his right not to testify, arguing that his defence had not had sufficient time to prepare.
The anti-corruption prosecutor had requested the seizure of the former president's passport, but Calama denied the measure on the grounds that the politician's public reputation ruled out any flight risk.
Source: η ναυτεμπορικη
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)