Spanish Judge Approves Probe into Ex-PM Zapatero's Payment for Bolivian Deal

A Spanish judge has approved an expanded investigation into former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, focusing on a 200,000 euro payment he received from the Peruvian company Gloria. Police allege Zapatero acted as an intermediary with Bolivian authorities to benefit the company's interests, receiving the payment for his services.

Zapatero's defense had argued against including this payment in the investigation, stating the company was not initially part of the inquiry. However, Judge José Luis Calama rejected this, asserting that the discovery of transfers linked to Gloria's Focus Social Research was a natural consequence of analyzing evidence already obtained in ongoing judicial proceedings.

The judge emphasized that the investigation is not an indiscriminate review of Zapatero's life but a result of validly obtained evidence. The probe is connected to the "Plus Ultra case," which is investigating allegations that Zapatero led an influence-peddling scheme to secure a 53 million euro public loan for the airline Plus Ultra in 2021, in exchange for financial benefits.

Police reports suggest Zapatero's involvement in a criminal organization that exploited his international contacts and public profile for illicit influence. The judge noted that while Zapatero's participation in conferences or receiving advisory fees is not inherently suspicious, certain payments warrant scrutiny when they emerge from seized documentation.

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that Zapatero participate in conferences or receive remunerations for advice does not exclude that certain payments may have a different nature, and precisely for that reason they must be analyzed when they emerge from the intervened documentation.