Former Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero is under investigation for tax fraud over jewelry found during a search
According to a court document from the National Court, a Madrid-based court, the Socialist politician was unable to prove “payment of customs duties, excise taxes, or other taxes associated with [the] importation” of the jewelry, valued at 1.3 million euros ($1.5 million).
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Pedro Sánchez during a Socialist International event in 2022
Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, already under investigation for influence peddling that has rocked Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist government, will be investigated for alleged tax fraud and smuggling regarding jewelry found in his office, the Spanish judiciary announced on Friday.
According to the court document from the National Court, a Madrid-based court, Zapatero was unable to prove "payment of customs duties, excise taxes, or taxes associated with [the] import" on the jewelry, valued at 1.3 million euros ($1.5 million).
Prime minister from 2004 to 2011, Zapatero is a prominent figure in Spanish socialism and close to current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
A representative for Zapatero had claimed that the jewelry, found during a police search in the safe in his office, was a family heirloom and had assigned it a much lower value.
The judge considers that the fact that Zapatero cannot prove he paid duties or taxes on this jewelry "constitutes objective evidence that such goods may have entered the customs territory of the European Union by evading the required controls and tax obligations."
The police search that uncovered the jewelry had been ordered by the magistrate, who is seeking to determine whether Zapatero influenced the bailout of the small airline Plus Ultra (linked to the Venezuelan regime) in exchange for money, the 53 million euros (about $62 million) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Charged on May 19 in connection with that part of the case, Zapatero is scheduled to appear on June 17 and 18 before Judge José Luis Calama to be questioned on suspicion of leading the organized structure that mediated with public agencies to obtain benefits, according to the National Court.
The discovery of numerous pieces of jewelry, some of which appeared to contain precious stones, and luxury watches was one of the most striking details in the case file, to which AFP had access.
Another blow to the Socialist government
This was compounded in recent weeks by an investigation into a former Socialist Party member, Leire Díez, who has been implicated by the courts as being at the center of “a plot aimed at destabilizing the legal proceedings affecting” the Socialist Party and the government.
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