Spain's UCO police unit tightens the screws on Zapatero

Spain's UCO police unit tightens the screws on Zapatero

In September 2025, Spain's Congress approved a motion urging the US government to revoke the visa of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, while the Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) keeps gathering evidence of his alleged involvement in corruption schemes linked to the Koldo case and the Venezuelan regime. The investigation, which spans courts in Spain and the US, has led to the rushed sale of his luxury villa and warnings of a possible exile.

The UCO investigation: from the Koldo case to Venezuela

In December 2025, the UCO and UDEF (Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit) are focusing their inquiries on Zapatero's business dealings during and after his presidency. Sources close to the judiciary say the investigation intensified after the revelations of the so-called 'Royuela File', which details alleged agreements between the former prime minister and Chavismo. The sale of his Madrid home, bought for one million euros and sold for two million in record time, has raised suspicions of asset concealment.

The diplomatic squeeze and pressure from Trump

The investigation crosses borders. Donald Trump's administration has shown interest in Zapatero's connections to Nicolás Maduro's regime, and the FBI has reportedly begun looking into his daughters. Spain's Congress, with votes from the PP and Vox parties, asked in September for his US visa to be revoked. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry appointed Colonel Pedro Merino as the new head of the UCO, replacing Rafael Yuste, amid the corruption offensive that is splashing the PSOE.

Jail for the former prime minister?

Opinions are split between those who believe Zapatero is the 'ringleader of the scheme' and those who denounce a politically motivated media persecution. What is undeniable is the accumulation of evidence: meetings with Plus Ultra businessmen, family frontmen and a fortune that does not match his official salary. The question hanging in the air is whether the UCO will manage to close the circle before the former leader finds a way out. For now, his network of contacts and his track record of impunity make even the most sceptical doubt.

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What no analysis quite explains is why, with this density of evidence, the process is moving so slowly and with so many changes at the top of the UCO.

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