Zapatero Prepares Filing to Prove Saudi Origin of His Jewelry

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is preparing to submit a document to court certifying that jewelry seized from his office by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit was a gift from Saudi royalty to his wife during his time as prime minister, from 2004 to 2011.

That move could send this part of the investigation toward dismissal because of the statute of limitations, provided National Court Judge José Luis Calama does not maintain the suspected money-laundering and smuggling offenses. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is expected to seek a broader appraisal of the jewelry, whose value could exceed the initial estimate of €1.3 million.

The jewelry dispute comes as Zapatero faces another judicial development involving Plus Ultra. The airline’s two former top executives are expected to acknowledge that they paid the former Socialist leader, through his friend Julio Martínez Martínez’s company Análisis Relevante, 1% of the airline’s rescue package if the bailout was granted. They are due to describe the payment as a “desperate measure” to save the company.

Martínez has begun cooperating with investigators in the hope of receiving favorable treatment if the case proceeds and the judge finds enough evidence to send those involved to trial. He told the judge that Zapatero was the driving force behind Análisis Relevante, found its clients and handled the relevant arrangements, including those involving Plus Ultra.

Investigators are examining alleged influence used by Zapatero to help secure a €53 million government rescue for Plus Ultra in 2021, after the pandemic. Zapatero has denied arranging anything for the airline. He says he did not know its executives and was hired by Martínez, a personal friend, only as an outside consultant. Despite Martínez’s change in strategy, Zapatero continues to defend his innocence and deny acting on Plus Ultra’s behalf.

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desperate measure