Spain’s former tax agency chief Soledad Fernández Doctor rejects link to Zapatero probe

Former head of the Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria, Soledad Fernández Doctor, testified before two Senate commissions investigating the SEPI scandal and the “case Koldo”. She denied that her resignation was caused by the tax inspection of former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, stating she had wanted to leave the post “long before” and that the decision was unrelated to the investigation.

During the hearing Fernández Doctor invoked her confidentiality obligations under article 95.3 of the tax agency law, refusing to answer questions about Zapatero and noting that related information is part of an ongoing judicial procedure. She also acknowledged a failure of the agency’s alert system in the “Plus Ultra” case involving a businessman linked to Zapatero, calling it a “lamentable error”.

The same week, the Senate scheduled appearances by PSOE leader Cristina Narbona and Guardia Civil official Manuel Llamas on the “case Koldo”. The government announced the appointment of Antonio Ansón Latorre as the new tax agency director, prompting a petition from treasury technicians urging him to address staffing reforms and career‑progression issues within the agency.