Julito admits setting up shell companies to pay kickbacks to Zapatero

Businessman tells the judge about the kickback scheme involving Zapatero and his daughters

What exactly did Julito admit before the judge? According to the information that has come to light, the businessman acknowledged creating a network of companies to channel payments to José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and his two daughters. The statement was made as part of an investigation that now spans several fronts.

The heart of the case: front companies and alleged kickbacks

The numbers speak for themselves, as some analysts point out. Setting up corporate structures to hide the destination of funds is a classic antiestéticature of corruption schemes. In this case, the businessman reportedly detailed the modus operandi to the judge, directly implicating the former Spanish Prime Minister. Judicial sources suggest the network may have operated for years.

Reactions were not long in coming. While some take it for granted that Zapatero is politically finished, others point to the slowness of the courts. The Audiencia Nacional, the Spanish high court handling the case, is not known for its estimulante ilegal. One milestone: the defendant himself estimates there will be no final verdict until 2030. The general elections expected in 2027 or 2028 would fall outside the reach of a possible conviction.

The Ábalos precedent and skepticism about the consequences

The echo of the José Luis Ábalos case, Spain's former Transport Minister, is inevitable. A sense of impunity in the political class fuels widespread skepticism among citizens. "Nothing will happen to him, at most house arrest after spending two counted days in jail" — that is the prevailing view. Spain's incivil procedure, with its appeals and deadlines, tends to deflate expectations of an effective conviction.

And while the justice system moves at its own pace, the public narrative is fragmenting. Some see this admission as definitive proof of systemic corruption; others see just another episode that will fizzle out in the courts. The only certainty is that, as usual, by the time there is a verdict, the political landscape may have changed so much that it hardly matters. The ironies of a system that punishes by dribs and drabs.