Política

“The Government is going to keep fighting,” guaranteed the minister and leader of the Madrid socialists, Óscar López, this Tuesday from the Moncloa. The Executive has thus shown itself determined to withstand all the pressure, both external and internal, triggered by the judicial investigation opened against former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. In this way, it is willing to resist and not throw in the towel to keep the legislature afloat, despite the intensified political offensive by the PP and the far-right Vox, despite warnings from parliamentary allies such as the PNV or CC and, also, despite the demands of Felipe González or the president of Castilla-La Mancha, the socialist Emiliano García-Page, for Pedro Sánchez to call general elections this very year, and to give up his intention to complete the legislature in July 2027, as he intends.

The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, has considered that after the indictment of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the central government should submit to a vote of confidence or call elections, and has warned that his party is at the “highest risk moment” of the entire democracy.

Vito Quiles is now formally the first ultra agitator sanctioned by the Congress of Deputies after months of files, complaints, and altercations accumulated in parliamentary premises. The Lower House has decided to withdraw his parliamentary accreditation for three months due to his repeated irregular practices, provocations, unauthorized recordings, and interruptions to deputies and journalists. The decision, adopted with the votes of PSOE and Sumar, has also represented a further step in the practical application of the regulation reform promoted last summer to try to contain this type of behavior.

The former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has asked Judge José Luis Calama, who is investigating the Plus Ultra case, to postpone his testimony before the National Court, scheduled for June 2.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado has summoned Begoña Gómez, wife of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, for a preliminary hearing on June 9 to decide whether to send her to trial.

The jewels found by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police in the safe of the office of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero during the searches are estimated to be “between 30,000 and 50,000 euros,” according to statements made in recent hours by the president of the Ateneo de Madrid, Luis Arroyo, who acts as the authorized spokesperson for the former president.

The economic and fiscal crime unit (UDEF) of the Police attributes to the daughters of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Laura and Alba, a significant role in the issuance of false invoices that would have served to cover up payments linked to an alleged influence peddling in the environment of the former prime minister. In its report, the Police states that the activity of Zapatero’s daughters’ company, Whathefav, would have allowed “generating ad hoc billing intended to provide formal coverage for certain financial or commercial movements” through fake reports.

The National Court suspects that part of the 53 million euros from the Plus Ultra bailout approved by the Government of Pedro Sánchez were transferred “immediately” to opaque bank accounts of shell companies that have acted in the sale of gold of unknown origin. This is evident from the arrest warrant issued on March 17 by the investigator José Luis Calama against Rodolfo Reyes, one of the airline’s shareholders, whose mobile phone was seized by the United States, the content of which delivered to Spain has been key to charging José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Judge José Luis Calama detects in the case file related to the investigation of the environment of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero several practices regarding the shell companies used to simulate activity. He accredits cases such as that of the company Caletón, in which the secretary of the Plus Ultra board, Santiago Fernández, encouraged to “make more movements” to “give it content” and “dilute” the payments. It is about “giving substance” and hiding operations.

The details of the judicial summary have only worsened the legal situation of the former head of government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who in a week has to appear before Judge José Luis Calama to try to convince him that everything stated by himself, the UDEF, and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is a series of errors or malicious interpretations. About thirty jewels kept in the safe of his official office were seized by the Police, who must now assess them.