Jose Luis Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain from 2004 to 2011, is currently facing his first criminal indictment. On May 18, 2026, National Court judge José Luis Calama issued an order summoning Zapatero to testify as a defendant on June 2, 2026. He is charged with criminal organization, influence peddling, document falsification, and money laundering. The case centers on allegations that he led a hierarchical network that used his influence to secure a 53 million euro state bailout for the airline Plus Ultra in March 2021. Investigators allege he received approximately 1.9 million euros in commissions through consultancy contracts, including payments to a marketing company owned by his daughters. Zapatero has denied all allegations, maintaining that his professional income resulted from legitimate consultancy work. Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department has traced a 519,000 dollar transfer to a Swiss account linked to him regarding separate potential oil-related corruption in Venezuela, and he is listed among 64 individuals under investigation by U.S. prosecutors for ties to the Chavismo movement. The Spanish Senate is also preparing a perjury complaint regarding his sworn testimony from March 2026.