Former Spanish PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under criminal investigation over €53m airline bailout, US assisted probe

May 20, 2026

Spain's former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been placed under criminal investigation for alleged influence-peddling related to a €53 million state bailout of Plus Ultra airline during the Covid pandemic in March 2021, marking the first time a former Spanish prime minister faces such charges. The US Department of Homeland Security assisted Spanish police in the money-laundering probe, with authorities searching Zapatero's office on May 19, 2026, and ordering him to appear before the High Court on June 2. Prosecutors are examining whether Plus Ultra misused public funds and laundered money from Venezuela through multiple countries. The investigation unfolds amid broader corruption scandals affecting current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's circle, including charges against his wife Begoña Gómez and brother David Sánchez, as well as former transport minister José Luis Ábalos facing 24 years for alleged kickbacks.

Zapatero criminal investigation

▪The investigating judge alleges José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero oversaw a hierarchical structure of influence peddling whose purpose was to obtain economic benefits through intermediation and the exercise of influence before public bodies in favour of third parties, mainly Plus Ultra.
▪Spanish police searched José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's office on May 19, 2026.
▪José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero served as Spanish prime minister from 2004 to 2011.
▪José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been ordered to appear before Spain's Audiencia Nacional on June 2, 2026.
▪A judge authorized police to search José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's office as well as those of three other companies.

Plus Ultra bailout probe

▪The investigation is part of an inquiry into the €53 million state rescue of the Spanish airline Plus Ultra in March 2021.
▪Plus Ultra's president, Julio Martínez Sola, told a senate committee in February 2026 that the bailout was conducted in complete compliance with the relevant laws.
▪Prosecutors are examining whether Plus Ultra made inadequate use of the public funds the government approved for the bailout.

Zapatero denies wrongdoing

▪Julio Martínez Martínez was arrested by anti-corruption officers in December 2025.
▪José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero told a senate committee in March 2026 that he had never taken any commissions from Plus Ultra.
▪José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero told a senate committee he had done consultancy work for Julio Martínez Martínez, a businessman who worked with Plus Ultra.
▪José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stated his willingness to cooperate with the investigation.
▪José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stated he had never carried out any action relating to the Plus Ultra bailout.

Sánchez government corruption cases

▪José Luis Ábalos is facing a sentence of 24 years.
▪Pedro Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, was charged with embezzlement, influence-peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds at the end of a two-year investigation by a judge in Madrid in April 2026.
▪Koldo García, José Luis Ábalos's former aide, is accused of taking kickbacks on public contracts for sanitary equipment during the Covid pandemic.
▪Pedro Sánchez's younger brother, David Sánchez, is facing trial in May 2026 on charges of influence-peddling.

Socialist party defends Zapatero

▪The Spanish Socialist Party stated that the right and the far right have never forgiven José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for his advances in rights, equality, and social protection.
▪The Spanish Socialist Party issued a statement on May 19, 2026 calling José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero a pioneering prime minister whose two terms were defined by an ambitious programme to expand rights, equality, and social protection.