Spanish National Court maintains investigation into Zapatero's dealings in Bolivia
The National Audience rejected removing from the 'Plus Ultra case' investigations into alleged operations by former president Zapatero in Bolivia on behalf of Grupo Gloria.
National Audience maintains investigation into Zapatero's dealings in Bolivia
Spain's National Audience rejected a request to remove from the 'Plus Ultra case' investigations into alleged operations by former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in Bolivia, according to larazon.bo. The court also denied that the investigation carried out by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the Spanish National Police had a "prospective" character.
In a judicial ruling accessed by the Europa Press agency, the Criminal Division of the National Audience argued that the UDEF's inquiries into payments made by the company Focus Social Research to Zapatero, linked to alleged dealings in Bolivia, "were fully supported by the appearance of connection with the facts being investigated in the case and under no argument can be classified as prospective".
The ruling came following an appeal by the former president in which he argued that the police report that revealed those dealings in Bolivia referred to "facts unrelated" to the cause being investigated. The court rejected that argument.
According to a police report drawn up in June by the UDEF, Zapatero would have carried out dealings in favour of Grupo Gloria in several million-dollar lawsuits with the Bolivian public administration. One of those matters would be linked to Soboce and a legal proceeding for compensation of 107 million dollars related to Fancesa, a state-owned company based in Sucre.
The document indicates that Rodríguez Zapatero may have met or contacted high-ranking Bolivian authorities, among them the then president Luis Arce, the then ministers of Economy and Justice, and the former attorney general of the State. Those possible contacts would have taken place during a trip to La Paz and Sucre in September 2024, according to the same police report.
Source: Google News BO — Crime