Spain’s Socialist ex-prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Thursday requested the nullification of a corruption investigation against him that has rocked the leftist government, saying his rights were violated.
The case is one of several graft probes that have jeopardised the position of current Socialist premier Pedro Sanchez, a global progressive hero after clashes with US President Donald Trump and Israel.
Zapatero, who governed Spain from 2004 to 2011 and is Sánchez’s mentor, was placed under formal investigation last month for alleged influence peddling in connection with the bailout of small airline Plus Ultra in 2021.
Investigating judge José Luis Calama said Zapatero allegedly headed a structure that used “opaque financial channels” to conceal the movement of money and obtain bribes for his illicit manoeuvring.
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A police search of Zapatero’s office found jewellery and luxury watches valued at €1.3 million ($1.5 million), leading Calama to probe additional alleged offences of tax fraud and smuggling.
Zapatero defended his “decency and honesty” during a court hearing this month that made him the first former or serving Spanish prime minister to be questioned as a suspect in a corruption probe.
His legal team on Thursday submitted a document to the Audiencia Nacional court to “request that the entire proceedings be declared null and void”.
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The document cited “illegally analysed evidence that violates the right to privacy, data protection and the secrecy of communications of third parties”.
Calama has ordered a separate investigation into the leaking to media of messages between Zapatero and his secretary as well as a police report that were supposed to remain confidential.
Separate politically damaging cases have targeted Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez and his brother David, while his former right-hand man José Luis Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption on Monday.
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