Lorraine Williamson
Former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has denied influencing the €53 million public rescue of airline Plus Ultra during a court appearance at the Audiencia Nacional.
Zapatero appeared before Judge José Luis Calama on Wednesday as an investigated person in the Plus Ultra case, making him the first former Spanish prime minister to appear before the Audiencia Nacional in this position since the return of democracy, according to El País and Reuters. The former Socialist leader denies wrongdoing. The case remains under investigation, and no offence has been proven.
Zapatero denies role in the airline rescue
The hearing centred on the state-backed rescue granted to Plus Ultra during the pandemic.
The airline received €53 million from Spain’s COVID-19 business rescue fund in 2021. Investigators are examining whether Zapatero or people around him may have influenced that decision through consultancy and lobbying links.
During his declaration, Zapatero denied having intervened in favour of the airline. El País reported that he told the judge he had never influenced the rescue and defended his consultancy work as legitimate.
Reuters also reported that Zapatero denied involvement in influence peddling linked to the bailout and said he had acted with decency and transparency.
Judge rejects passport withdrawal
After the declaration, requests were made for precautionary measures against Zapatero, including the withdrawal of his passport and requiring him to appear regularly in court.
El País reported that Judge Calama rejected imposing those measures, arguing that Zapatero’s public profile made flight unlikely.
The decision means Zapatero will not, at this stage, have to surrender his passport or report regularly to court as part of the case.
The judge’s refusal to impose those measures does not close the investigation. It only concerns whether restrictions were necessary while the case continues.
Jewellery issue remains separate
Wednesday’s declaration also came days after the judge opened a separate line of inquiry into jewellery found during a search of Zapatero’s office.
The jewellery was reportedly valued at around €1.3 million. The separate inquiry is examining possible tax and smuggling offences linked to the origin and documentation of those items.
Reuters reported that Zapatero declined to testify on the jewellery issue during Wednesday’s hearing, arguing that he had not had enough time to prepare documentation.
That means the jewellery question has not been resolved by today’s appearance. It remains part of a separate legal line linked to the wider case.
What is the Plus Ultra case?
The Plus Ultra case began around the rescue of the Venezuelan-linked airline, which received public money during the pandemic.
The rescue was controversial from the start because of questions over whether the airline was strategically important enough to qualify for support and whether political or business influence played a role.
The investigation has since widened. El País says Zapatero is being investigated for alleged influence peddling, money laundering, tax offences and smuggling, while the judge is also examining consultancy links and the origin of the jewellery found in his office.
These are allegations under investigation. Zapatero has not been convicted of any offence.
Why the appearance matters
The appearance is politically significant because Zapatero was prime minister from 2004 to 2011 and remains an influential figure in the PSOE.
Reuters described him as the first former Spanish premier to be formally investigated since Spain’s return to democracy.
The case also lands at a difficult political moment for Spain’s Socialist Party, which is already facing pressure from other judicial and political controversies.
For opposition parties, the hearing offers a new line of attack against the PSOE and the wider government environment. For Socialists, it raises the challenge of defending the presumption of innocence while managing the political impact of a former leader appearing before the courts.
Zapatero says he will give explanations
After the hearing, Zapatero issued a public response saying the truth would come out and that he had spent weeks in silence.
Spanish media reported that he said he would provide explanations in the coming days and had voluntarily authorised checks linked to his statement that he has no assets abroad.
The PSOE also reacted after the declaration, maintaining its support for the presumption of innocence and respect for the judicial process.
The political fallout is likely to continue, particularly if the separate jewellery inquiry advances or if the court takes further procedural steps.
A case still in motion
Wednesday’s hearing moved the case forward, but it did not resolve it.
Zapatero has denied influencing the Plus Ultra rescue. The judge has rejected passport-withdrawal measures for now. The jewellery issue remains open. The wider investigation continues.
For readers, the important point is to separate the legal facts from the political noise.
A former prime minister has appeared before the Audiencia Nacional as an investigated person. He denies wrongdoing. The judge has refused immediate restrictions on his movements. And investigators still have to determine whether the allegations can be proven.