Zapatero's daughters charged in Spain: a case that stirs up the past

Zapatero's daughters charged in Spain: a case that stirs up the past

The courts have turned their attention to the family circle of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. His two daughters have been formally charged as part of an investigation that also involves his vvife, Sonsoles Espinosa, and an associate known as Gertrudis. The case, being handled by a central investigating court, points to an alleged scheme of irregular invoicing for work that was never carried out or was grossly overvalued.

According to the information that has come to light, the daughters received payments running into millions for web layout and design services. A WordPress template invoiced for half a million euros is one of the details that has raised the most eyebrows. Prosecutors suspect these invoices may have been part of a money-laundering network linked to illegal kickbacks during Zapatero's governments.

The family's property assets are also under scrutiny. A chalet valued at 700,000 euros and a flat worth 300,000 in an expensive area of Madrid, Puerta de Hierro, where the price per square metre is double those figures, are mentioned. The origin of these assets, acquired with no proven income, is the core of the financial investigation.

The mirage of prison for the powerful

Despite the seriousness of the evidence, scepticism prevails among analysts. Recent experience with similar cases —from Roldán to Bárcenas— shows that officials with legal privilege and their families usually avoid pre-trial detention. The doctrine of "I'm just a girl, daddy handled it" seems to be making a comeback. The possibility that they will appear in court and refuse to answer questions, sheltering behind their status as charged parties, fuels the sense of impunity.

The contrast is striking: while an ordinary citizen has their passport confiscated and must sign on every fortnight over a minor debt, the daughters of a former prime minister keep their freedom of movement. The Zapatero family already enjoys a privilege similar to that of the former leader himself, who is barred from leaving Spain but faces no firm precautionary measures.

The awkward figure: the cost of keeping an inmate

Among the ironies of the case, an unexpected calculation has emerged: keeping the accused in prison would be costly given their overweight —something that has been the subject of macabre jokes in legal gossip circles. Beyond the dark humour, the figure reveals an inequality: while prison menus for ordinary inmates are meagre, high-security prisons offer restaurant-quality meals. But nobody believes these defendants will ever get to try them.