Jose Zapatero has become the first former prime minister of Spain to be investigated in a corruption-related probe.

The investigation centres on a €53million bailout of the Plus Ultra airline during the Covid pandemic, which was approved by Pedro Sanchez’s government in March 2021.

National Court judge Jose Luis Calama now believes Zapatero led a ‘stable and hierarchical influence-peddling structure’ designed to secure favourable political decisions for private clients.

The former PSOE leader is accused of using his political contacts and privileged access to senior government officials to influence decisions in exchange for payments allegedly disguised as consultancy and advisory contracts.

Zapatero denies wrongdoing and insists all his professional activities were ‘fully legal’.

Venezuela connection

The case originally began as a money laundering investigation linked to Plus Ultra, a small airline with ties to Venezuela.

Spanish anti-corruption prosecutors and police investigators suspected the company may have used part of the €53 million state rescue package to launder money allegedly linked to Venezuelan gold smuggling operations and the misuse of social aid funds.

The bailout itself quickly became controversial because critics questioned why such a relatively small airline received such a large public rescue package during the pandemic.

The government approved the rescue on March 9, 2021, through two loans worth €34million and €19 million respectively.

Investigators later expanded the probe after uncovering alleged influence operations surrounding the bailout process.

Judge Calama claims evidence gathered during the investigation points to an organised network allegedly led by Zapatero.

Alleged pay for access

According to the judge, the former prime minister allegedly offered clients privileged access to senior Spanish officials in exchange for financial compensation.

The court alleges the network’s goal was not simply political lobbying, but obtaining specific administrative decisions – including approval of the Plus Ultra bailout.

Zapatero will testify as a formal suspect on June 2 over alleged offences including organised crime, influence peddling, false documentation and potential money laundering.

The judge alleges nearly €2million flowed into companies and accounts linked to Zapatero and his inner circle.

Court documents claim Zapatero allegedly received €1.52million, while his daughters Laura and Alba allegedly received €423,779 through their communications agency Whathefav S.L.

Investigators say many of the payments were routed through consultancy firms and intermediary companies allegedly used to conceal the true origin of funds.

One businessman at the centre of the case, Julio Martinez Martnez, allegedly acted as the main intermediary between clients and Zapatero’s network.

According to the investigation, his company received large payments from Plus Ultra before transferring significant sums to Zapatero-linked entities.

The investigation also stretches beyond Spain.

International probe

Judge Calama claims an offshore company linked to Dubai – allegedly created following Zapatero’s instructions – may have been established to channel commissions related to the bailout.

The court says the structure fits classic alleged money laundering patterns involving offshore entities, complex company structures, cross-border fund transfers and concealed beneficial ownership.

The timing could hardly be worse for Sanchez.

Fresh headache for Sanchez

His government is already battling multiple corruption scandals involving figures connected to the PSOE, including the ongoing Koldo case.

The implication of Zapatero – still an influential figure within socialist circles and widely viewed as one of Sanchez’s political allies – has handed fresh ammunition to the opposition.

Partido Popular leader Alberto Núñez Feijoo accused Sanchez’s government on Wednesday of being surrounded by corruption, while Vox suggested the scandal could justify a new no-confidence motion.

Despite the growing pressure, Sanchez publicly defended Zapatero in parliament on Wednesday and called for respect for the presumption of innocence.

‘I give all my support to the former president of the government,’ Sanchez said during a heated session in Congress.

The investigation has already seen multiple arrests and searches carried out by Spain’s economic crime unit, the UDEF.

Those investigated include Plus Ultra president Julio Martínez Sola, airline CEO Roberto Roselli, businessman Julio Martinez Martinez and several lawyers and intermediaries.

Police also searched Zapatero’s office and companies linked to his daughters earlier this week.

A separate Madrid court previously archived an earlier criminal complaint linked to the bailout after ruling there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing in the rescue process itself.

However, prosecutors later reopened investigations after new international evidence allegedly linked the airline rescue to wider financial crimes.

For now, the National Court investigation remains ongoing.