Zapatero denies all corruption charges in first testimony before Spain's Audiencia Nacional but judge rules evidence stands

Testimony and charges

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became the first former Spanish prime minister to testify as a formal suspect before the Audiencia Nacional on Wednesday, answering questions from judge José Luis Calama and his own lawyer while refusing to address the anti-corruption prosecutor. The ex-premier is under investigation for allegedly influencing the government's decision to grant a €53 million rescue package to airline Plus Ultra during the pandemic, alongside charges of money laundering, tax fraud and contraband.

In his statement, Zapatero denied any wrongdoing, stating that he had no role in the bailout and had never ordered the creation of offshore corporate structures or received illicit commissions as the head of a criminal organisation. Judge Calama, however, concluded in a subsequent order that the testimony "has not managed to undermine the rational indications of criminality" from multiple lines of evidence, including intercepted devices, bank transfers and corporate records.

The defendant's statement has not managed to undermine the rational indications of criminality set out in the charging order and which derive from various and different sources of evidence.

Jewellery and offshore business plans

One of the most contentious episodes involved the discovery of jewels at Zapatero's office, preliminarily valued at over €1.3 million. The former prime minister declined to explain their origin, telling the judge he would provide documentation in the coming days to demonstrate when and how he acquired them. Investigators regard the jewellery as an unjustified asset increase that was not declared to the tax authority.

The probe also uncovered a business plan drafted in March 2021 that envisaged creating a Dubai Free Zone subsidiary of a Spanish consultancy firm to receive payments from international clients, with projected profits of three million dollars over five years. The scheme, communicated between businessman Julio Martínez Martínez and an associate, would have allowed Zapatero to collect advisory fees via Martínez's company without formally owning any foreign accounts. Zapatero denied any knowledge of the plan and insisted he has "absolutely nothing outside Spain."

I give my universal voluntary authorisation so that the non-existence of companies, money, financial products or any assets in my name, directly or indirectly, can be confirmed. Because I have absolutely nothing outside Spain.

China and Venezuelan oil links

A further line of inquiry concerns an alleged intermediation role in oil trade. During questioning, Zapatero acknowledged travelling to China "many times" but said his visits were only to "give conferences," never to conduct business, and that no trip involved Julio Martínez. The judge then confronted him with a seized email from a Chinese company containing a legal document related to a Venezuelan oil purchase, in which Zapatero was named as the intermediary.

Court filings describe a letter of intent dated October 2023 from China International Cultural Technology Resources Group CO LTD addressed to the "Office of President Zapatero." Investigators from the Spanish police's economic crime unit also found messages referring to "the Dame" (Delcy Rodríguez, then vice-president and now president of Venezuela) as the person who handled direct allocation of oil shipments. Zapatero said he never replied to the email and denied any involvement in oil dealings. The judge, however, pointed to evidence suggesting that "the participation and decisive influence of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero" gave potential buyers access to senior political figures in Venezuela.

Government and media reactions

Inside the Sánchez government, responses were cautious. Justice minister Félix Bolaños and territorial policy minister Ángel Víctor Torres avoided the press before the hearing; afterwards, Torres voiced confidence that Zapatero "will be able to demonstrate his innocence," while equality minister Ana Redondo stressed "respect for judicial decisions" and said that "time will put things in their place."

Science minister Diana Morant went further, suggesting a "hidden hand" behind the case. She pointed to the fact that US authorities cloned the mobile phone of Plus Ultra shareholder Rodolfo Reyes at an airport in 2021, and that the material was only now surfacing, at a moment when "the Spanish government and the president are standing up against Trump with that 'no to war' stance."

I find it very suspicious that the United States cloned a Venezuelan citizen's mobile phone at an airport in 2021 and just now, when the Government of Spain and the president are standing up against Trump, these developments around the Plus Ultra case arrive.

Television host El Gran Wyoming captured the unease on both sides of the political spectrum, noting that "there are loose ends, unexplained things, dark spots," and that many progressive citizens who saw Zapatero as a political and ethical reference are now unsettled.

Spokesman says Zapatero 'satisfied'

After the hearing, Luis Arroyo, a close associate acting as Zapatero's authorised spokesman, told Cadena Ser radio that the former prime minister was "satisfied" because his testimony allowed him to "begin to confirm that he is absolutely innocent" and to "dismantle the insinuations." Arroyo described the judge's phrasing about not having undermined the evidence as standard judicial language signalling that the case would not be archived. He added that Zapatero had had only two days to gather information on the jewellery and had simply requested more time. The case remains open, with the next steps depending in part on whether Julio Martínez, described by the judge as Zapatero's "main lieutenant in the influence network," decides to cooperate with prosecutors.