Zapatero faces new judicial scrutiny over payments from Peruvian firm

Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero faces renewed judicial scrutiny as the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has requested his reappearance before the Audiencia Nacional.

The investigation focuses on €200,000 received from the Peruvian company Focus Social Research. According to police reports from the UDEF, these funds—transferred in three installments between July 2024 and June 2025—are allegedly linked to mediation efforts conducted on behalf of the Peruvian conglomerate Grupo Gloria regarding judicial issues faced by its cement subsidiary, Soboce, in Bolivia.

While Zapatero’s defense maintains that these payments were for legitimate professional activities, investigators are examining whether the funds served as compensation for intermediary work with Bolivian authorities. Additionally, a judge recently rejected Zapatero's request to prevent the Yanes jewelry store from conducting a valuation of certain assets, a move his defense argued posed a risk of partiality.