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[POLITICS] · Spain · 48 sources

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Judge authorizes UDEF to probe accounts of former PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and associates

Audiencia Nacional judge José Luis Calama has authorized the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) to investigate roughly 60 bank accounts belonging to former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, his daughters Alba and Laura, his secretary María Gertrudis Alcázar and his associate Julio Martínez. The probe covers accounts at more than ten banking entities from 1 January 2020 onward and seeks evidence of a structured influence‑peddling network linked to the Plus Ultra airline rescue. UDEF has identified Plus Ultra, Inteligencia Prospectiva and Softgestor, among others, as possible concealed financing sources, and has traced payments of about €1.2 million from Plus Ultra to the shell firm Caletón Consultores, later routed to companies controlled by Martínez. The investigation also notes that Zapatero allegedly received over €2.7 million in consultancy‑type fees and that the network involves at least 27 companies showing unitary control. In parallel, the judge has repeatedly rejected requests from Zapatero, his wife Sonsoles Espinosa and his daughters to suspend the ongoing tax inspection by the Agencia Tributaria, allowing the fiscal probe to continue. The judge also ordered a review of certain procedural rulings but kept the case open. Additionally, Alcázar’s purchase of a €132,055 house without a mortgage, financed by periodic transfers between 2021 and 2023, has been highlighted as part of the financial scrutiny.

Entities

Alba Rodríguez · Alba Rodríguez Espinosa · Audiencia Nacional · Gertrudis Alcázar · José Luis Calama · José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero · Judge José Luis Calama · Julio Martínez Martínez · Laura Rodríguez · Laura Rodríguez Espinosa · María Gertrudis Alcázar · Plus Ultra

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Sources

Zapatero, ¿ángel caído? [www.granadahoy.com]
Zapatero, ¿ángel caído? [www.diariodesevilla.es]
Zapatero, ¿ángel caído? [www.diariodealmeria.es]