Zapatero seeks nullity of Plus Ultra evidence

Former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, through lawyer Víctor Moreno Catena, has asked the Audiencia Nacional judge José Luis Calama to determine whether a judicial authorization existed for the analysis of a seized hard‑drive (“Crucial”) and WhatsApp conversations obtained under French and Swiss cooperation. The defence argues that without a specific court order the material violates constitutional guarantees on secrecy of communications, privacy and data protection, and should be excluded from the Plus Ultra influence‑trafficking investigation, potentially triggering a nullity incident.

Zapatero’s team also disputes the validity of evidence derived from a mobile phone provided by U.S. authorities, insisting that U.S. authorization alone does not meet European and Spanish legal standards. The request includes clarification of the chain‑of‑custody and the legal basis for the foreign cooperation, aiming to protect procedural rights and avoid the use of improperly obtained evidence in the case that also implicates his daughters and other officials.