Zapatero jewel scandal prompts probe into Morocco ties and missing gift records

Spanish authorities discovered jewels worth €1.3 million in former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s office safe. The items – gold, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies – were found by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF). Zapatero has said the pieces came from gifts by the Saudi king and other foreign sources, but an official 31‑page gift list issued by the Ministry of Finance records only a golden clock and two horses from the Saudi monarch, omitting the jewels entirely.

The left‑wing Sumar parliamentary group has asked the foreign ministry to detail all gifts received by Spain’s ex‑presidents, suggesting the jewels could be linked to Moroccan lobbying that may have influenced Spain’s recent shift on Western Sahara. Sumar also criticises the PSOE for blocking a proposed Sahrawi nationality law. The discrepancy between the inventory and the hidden valuables raises questions about customs oversight and the transparency of official gifts.