When a judge orders the imprisonment of a son as the alleged murderer of his father and another judge considers that a former Prime Minister of Spain is the “leader” of a criminal network of corruption and influence peddling, we as journalists have no other option but to try to explain it to you in the best possible way without being able to assess the truth of both accusations. In theory, Jonathan Andic and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero are protected by the presumption of innocence, but in reality, the mere disclosure of both cases already places them in a situation of presumed guilt.
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In the first case, the months that have passed between the death of businessman Isak Andic in December 2024 and the arrest of his son yesterday are striking. He has been living a nightmare for months due to the suspicions hanging over him. During these months, it has been news whether the investigation was closed or reopened. In the end, the judge formalized the accusation yesterday for an alleged homicide offense. His defense lawyer, Cristóbal Martell, states that this decision “is inconsistent, painful, and stigmatizes an innocent man.” The judge cites in her writing as evidence an economic motive, “the bad relationship between the son and the father,” and “a prior planning and study of the place,” among other elements. The key will be how the prosecution can prove that the homicide took place.
In the second case, a judge of the National Court has adopted a police investigation that, if true, would leave Zapatero in a very bad position. The order reveals conversations of third parties that directly implicate the former president in the creation of a company in Dubai and in the intermediation and exercise of influence to favor the airline Plus Ultra. Zapatero has denied it and Pedro Sánchez has asked to defend “his good name.” The reading of the eighty-five pages of the judicial document is devastating against the socialist leader and if confirmed it would be a very hard blow against the PSOE, which still carries the impact of the cases of José Luis Ábalos and Santos Cerdán. Zapatero will testify on June 2.
Meanwhile, in both cases, there is more public presumption of guilt than innocence.
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