Spain: Zapatero denies all corruption charges in court
Former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appeared before the Supreme Court denying every charge in a case involving an alleged network of influence and money laundering.
Spain: Zapatero denies all corruption charges in court
Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who governed the country between 2004 and 2011, appeared before the Supreme Court in Madrid to defend himself against the charges brought against him in an investigation into an alleged network of influence and money laundering.
Dressed in a dark blue suit and grey tie, he arrived at the judicial building in a private car and entered through a pedestrian entrance closed to the public. His statement before the judge lasted three and a half hours.
Zapatero is the first Spanish head of government to be formally investigated since the country's return to democracy. Despite the charges, he remains a respected figure within the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and is considered a key ally of the current Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, whose administration has already had to deal with several corruption scandals.
In a statement published after his appearance, the former leader said: "I am accused of very serious crimes that I did not commit." He added that he had voluntarily presented a general authorisation to the court to show that he does not own companies or assets outside Spain. "I have always behaved with decency and honesty, and now that I have before me the duty to prove it, I will do so with complete transparency," he declared.
The case investigates an alleged scheme of unlawful influence and money laundering, from which he is suspected to have benefited by exerting pressure on public institutions for the benefit of third parties. One of the companies allegedly favoured is the airline Plus Ultra, which received 53 million euros in a rescue package during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
The investigating judge, José Luis Calama, has also opened a separate investigation into jewels found during a search of Zapatero's office. The provisional value of those pieces amounts to approximately 1.3 million euros, although at present there is no documented evidence regarding their origin. An investigation is underway to determine whether they could be linked to possible tax crimes or smuggling.
According to judicial sources cited by news agency EFE, when Judge Calama questioned Zapatero about the jewels on Wednesday, the former president exercised his right not to testify, arguing that his defence had not had sufficient time to prepare.
The anti-corruption prosecutor had requested the withdrawal of Zapatero's passport, but Judge Calama rejected this, arguing that the ex-politician's public reputation compensated for any flight risk.
Source: Η Ναυτεμπορική
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)