Eleven judicial cases shake Spanish politics this autumn
From the Zapatero case to the trial of the Lezo case, Spanish courts resume a judicial agenda affecting former presidents, ministers and relatives of active leaders.
The major judicial proceedings that will mark the political return in Spain
Summer has given Spanish courts a respite, but autumn is shaping up to be filled with hearings, sentences and new investigations. According to La Vanguardia, at least eleven high-profile judicial cases will resume their activity in September, affecting figures from the PP, the PSOE and their closest circles.
Zapatero investigated for the Plus Ultra rescue
The case that has attracted the greatest media interest involves former Government president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. National Court judge José Luis Calama is investigating him for alleged crimes of abuse of influence and falsification of documents, and places him at the head of a purported criminal organisation.
Civil Guard reports indicate that Zapatero allegedly influenced the Government to rescue the Plus Ultra airline for 53 million euros in 2021, despite the airline only having one leased aircraft in operation. The judge also suspects that Zapatero and his daughters, Laura and Alba, would have received 1% of the rescue as a commission, through a company linked to Julio Martínez, described as the former president's intimate friend and alleged front man. Martínez's statement before the magistrate reinforced the Civil Guard's version.
Also pending is the matter of jewels found in the safe of Zapatero's office, valued by appraisers at 1.3 million euros. The former president promised to explain their origin months ago, but those explanations have not materialised.
The Leire Díez case and the alleged PSOE dirty tricks
Also known as the PSOE dirty tricks case, this investigation arrived this summer exclusively in the hands of National Court judge Santiago Pedraz. The magistrate is investigating whether Leire Díez headed an alleged scheme designed to obstruct judicial investigations affecting the PSOE, the Government and the family of president Pedro Sánchez.
That scheme allegedly attempted to discredit judges, prosecutors and agents of the Civil Guard's Central Operations Unit (UCO), and would have operated with funds from the socialist party. Pedraz's inquiries also cover the alleged rigging of public contracts. Among approximately 30 investigated individuals are Díez, former PSOE secretary of organisation Santos Cerdán, former head of Pedro Sánchez's office Juanma Serrano and Civil Guard director general Mercedes González.
The Koldo case and the secrecy of the PSOE investigation
Former minister José Luis Ábalos, his adviser Koldo García and commission agent Víctor de Aldama were convicted in June by the Supreme Court in one of the most high-profile sentences of recent years. However, the three maintain pending cases. At the National Court, judge Ismael Moreno is investigating whether they received commissions for mask-purchase contracts during the pandemic.
Moreno has opened a separate section, under judicial secrecy, into alleged irregular cash payments to the PSOE. The lifting of that judicial secrecy could be one of the major headlines of the autumn.
The Kitchen case: sentence pending for former minister and former police commissioner
Jorge Fernández Díaz, former Interior minister from the PP; Francisco Martínez, former State Secretary for Security; Eugenio Pino, former deputy operational director of the Police; and former police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo await the Kitchen case verdict. They are accused of having created an alleged paramilitary operative, financed with reserved funds, to spy on former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas and remove documents from him regarding the party's irregular financing.
The Pujol family: sentence after the winter trial
The National Court tried the family of former president Jordi Pujol this winter for the alleged irregular origin of their fortune and its concealment in Andorra. Pujol, 95, was exonerated due to cognitive decline. The trial was deemed ready for sentencing in May.
Begoña Gómez and Alberto González Amador: trials for 2027
Begoña Gómez, spouse of president Pedro Sánchez, will go to trial with a jury accused of alleged crimes of misappropriation and abuse of influence, although the date has not yet been set and could be in late 2027. In a similar situation is Alberto González Amador, partner of Madrid Community president Isabel Díaz Ayuso: accused of alleged tax fraud and issuance of false invoices, a decision to open oral proceedings has already been made, but the trial could also be postponed to 2027.
The Montoro case: eight years of investigation extended
An investigating court in Tarragona has been investigating for eight years whether former PP Finance minister Cristóbal Montoro favoured certain companies through legislative and tax changes. In July, the investigating judge extended the investigation a further six months.
The Lezo case: first trial on 7 September
After ten years of investigation, the Lezo case, which affects former popular president of the Madrid Community Ignacio González, finally reaches the oral phase. The first section, relating to Canal Extensia América, will be tried from 7 September onwards. However, González will not take the stand until 2027: the National Court will try him between 13 and 30 September of that year for two alleged bribery offences related to the rigging of works at the golf course of the Canal de Isabel II.
An autumn of judicial proceedings without recent precedent
All these cases paint a picture of exceptional political density in the judiciary, with former presidents, former ministers, advisers and direct relatives of active leaders before the courts simultaneously. The procedural agenda of the coming months will largely determine the tone of political debate in Spain until the end of the year.
Source: La Vanguardia