Judge rejects Zapateros innocence claim in Plus Ultra probe
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain’s former prime minister, declared himself innocent on Wednesday before a Madrid judge investigating alleged influence-peddling and money-laundering linked to the 2020 public rescue of the airline Plus Ultra, but the investigating magistrate, José Luis Calama, said the 65-year-old ex-leader had failed to dispel “rational indications of criminality” arising from the case.
Speaking for three hours in the Audiencia Nacional, Zapatero told Judge Calama that he had exerted no influence to secure the €53 million state aid granted to Plus Ultra during the pandemic, and that he had never contacted officials over the matter . In a separate statement released after the hearing, he said, “When one knows one is completely innocent and trusts fully in justice, the most painful thing is to think that many people may feel let down if they believe what is being said about me. I ask for your trust.”
Judge Calama’s written ruling, issued the same day, acknowledged that the investigation remains at an embryonic stage but concluded that the evidence gathered so far—including financial transfers through Zapatero’s accounts, mobile-phone data, multiple shell companies, and jewellery worth an estimated €1.3 million found in his office safe—does not exonerate him. “The content of the devices seized on 9 November 2025, the traceability of transfers from Plus Ultra rescue funds, the use of allegedly instrumental companies, the preliminary analysis of a U.S.-supplied phone, and the unaccounted jewellery all constitute rational indications of criminal conduct,” the judge wrote .
The prosecutor’s office had requested precautionary measures, including the withdrawal of Zapatero’s passport and mandatory bi-weekly court appearances, but Judge Calama refused, citing the ex-premier’s “public notoriety” and lack of evidence of flight risk or evidence tampering . The decision sparked immediate disagreement: the centre-right opposition party PP, acting as a private prosecutor, had supported the measures, while some smaller groups had demanded pre-trial detention.
The PSOE, Zapatero’s former party, reiterated its backing in a statement issued after the hearing, praising his “absolute transparency” and reaffirming the presumption of innocence . The party also defended Zapatero’s political legacy, arguing that it “remains fully valid” despite the legal proceedings.
International wire services reported Zapatero’s denial in similar terms, with Reuters quoting him as saying, “I am accused of very serious crimes that I did not commit.” Spanish media highlighted the judge’s refusal to lift the passport as a setback for the prosecution, while commentators noted that the jewellery—whose origin and tax status remain unclarified—has become a symbolic focus of the inquiry .
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