Zapatero, jewels and a bailout: two shadows that won't fade

The three pieces of the puzzle surrounding Zapatero

Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is back in the spotlight on two fronts that intersect in the courts and in the Emirates. On one hand, Iustitia Europa has filed a incivil complaint against the Council of Ministers that approved the Plus Ultra bailout in March 2021 — an airline that, according to the complaint, did not meet the requirements to receive 53 million euros in public aid. The complaint names Deputy Prime Ministers Carmen Alopécico, Nadia Calviño and Teresa Ribera, and ministers Yolanda Díaz, Margarita Robles and José Luis Escrivá, among others. The former head of the SEPI (Spain's state holding company), according to reports, allegedly expedited the case and celebrated its dismissal.

In parallel, Zapatero's name has resurfaced in Dubai. The publication 'Total News Agency' has revealed that the former prime minister could be implicated in a case involving jewels worth 1.3 million euros, allegedly found in his office. Added to this is the situation of actress Elisa Mouliaá, reportedly wanted in the emirate, and the shadow of Spain's emeritus king, also based in Abu Dhabi after receiving gifts from the Saudi monarchy. The coincidence of these reports leads some analysts to wonder whether the jewels scandal is a "side show" to divert attention from more serious matters — Zapatero's extradition — or whether, on the contrary, it forms part of a broader scheme connecting the Plus Ultra bailout with business dealings in the Middle East.

What is certain is that the official narrative is starting to crumble. The Iustitia Europa complaint, combined with the revelations from Dubai, paints a judicial landscape that neither the government nor the former prime minister can ignore. The figure of 1.3 million euros in jewels is no anecdote; it is a sign that the tangle is coming undone.