José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain from 2004 to 2011, is currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Spanish National Court (Audiencia Nacional). In May 2026, he became the first former Spanish prime minister to be formally charged and appear as a suspect in a corruption investigation. The investigation centers on the 2021 government bailout of the airline Plus Ultra. Judge José Luis Calama alleges that Zapatero led an organized structure that utilized offshore companies to facilitate influence peddling, money laundering, document forgery, and membership in a criminal organization in exchange for financial benefits. Court documents estimate that Zapatero and his associates allegedly received approximately €1.95 million in connection with the scheme. Following a search of his office that uncovered jewelry and luxury watches valued at €1.3 million, the judge also initiated inquiries into potential tax fraud and smuggling. In June 2026, the investigation was expanded to include his two daughters and his personal secretary as suspects. Zapatero has publicly denied all allegations, maintaining that his activities were legal and transparent. Additionally, the U.S. government is reportedly investigating his ties to Venezuelan political movements, and the Spanish Senate is considering a perjury complaint regarding his testimony on the Plus Ultra case. Earlier in his career, before his premiership, it was reported that Zapatero secured a teaching assistant position at the University of León without the standard competitive selection process, which critics characterized as political favoritism.