Zapatero Faces Probe Over €53 Million Plus Ultra Bailout as Spain Summons Him for June 2
Updated
Updated · Euronews · May 19
Zapatero Faces Probe Over €53 Million Plus Ultra Bailout as Spain Summons Him for June 2
14 articles · Updated · Euronews · May 19
Spain's top criminal court placed former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under formal investigation and ordered him to testify on June 2 over alleged influence peddling tied to Plus Ultra.
The case centers on a €53 million public loan granted to the Venezuela-linked airline in March 2021 from a pandemic fund for strategic companies, a rescue that drew scrutiny over the carrier's finances and links.
Zapatero, who led Spain from 2004 to 2011, denied wrongdoing at a March Senate hearing, saying he never received commissions from Plus Ultra.
The probe is the first formal investigation of a former Spanish prime minister since Spain's return to democracy in 1975 after Franco's death.
The opposition People's Party demanded explanations from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, adding to pressure on a government already hit by the Koldo contracts case and an inquiry involving Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez.
A historic probe targets a former Spanish leader. Is this a political witch hunt or a new era of accountability?
With his testimony looming, what will Zapatero's defense reveal about the nexus of politics, business, and public money?
As a former PM faces graft charges, where is the line between saving an industry and fueling high-level corruption?