Spanish ex-PM Zapatero investigated over airline bailout

Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, an ally of current Socialist Premier Pedro Sanchez, is being investigated for alleged influence peddling and related crimes, the country's top criminal court said on Tuesday.

Zapatero has thus become the first Spanish prime minister — current or former — to be formally investigated by the judiciary since Spain's return to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

The announcement comes as Sanchez himself is under pressure amid an investigation into alleged kickbacks involving key members of his ​inner ‌circle, as well as probes focusing on his wife and his brother.

Why is Zapatero being investigated?

The investigation is part of so-called Plus Ultra case, which centers around the state bailout of the domestic airline Plus Ultra through the state holding company SEPI during the coronavirus pandemic.

The €53 million ($62 million) bailout, which came in 2021 and thus years after Zapatero had left office in 2011, was sourced from COVID-19 recovery funds.

Zapatero is seen by critics as having possibly facilitated the aid, since he is known to have maintained business ties in Venezuela, where some of Plus Ultra's shareholders are based.

He has been summoned to testify before a judge on June 2.

The High Court is examining whether the ​bailout was properly approved, with opposition parties saying that the airline was not a clear strategic asset, while also questioning the airline's financial situation and its links to Venezuela.

Strong criticism from the opposition

The conservative opposition People's Party (PP) has persistently highlighted Zapatero's business links to Venezuela in the years since he departed from government.

On Tuesday, the party described the former prime minister as Sanchez's "muse" and underlined the fact that both politicians were now facing corruption allegations.

"Both have used their families to enrich themselves and both have denigrated the institution they represent or have represented," the right-wing party said in a statement.

The Socialist party has defended Zapatero, suggesting that the investigation was politically motivated.

Zapatero's time in office was "marked by an ambitious programme to extend rights, equality, and social protection. The right and far right have never forgiven him for these advances," the party said in a statement.

Zapatero, who was premier from 2004 to 2011, has already denied wrongdoing before a Senate hearing in March.

During his terms, he oversaw the implementation of a number of highly consequential policies, including withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq and legalizing ‌same-sex marriage.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko