A Spanish high court judge has dismissed an attempt by former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to shut down a new line of investigation into alleged influence peddling, ruling that the probe does not constitute an illegitimate intrusion into his privacy. Judge José Luis Calama of the Audiencia Nacional rejected the defense's claim of a blanket fishing expedition, saying the inquiry grew naturally from valid evidence already gathered.
The dispute centers on a police report alleging Zapatero received 200,000 euros between 2024 and 2025 as payment for lobbying Bolivian authorities on behalf of Peru's Grupo Gloria, masked through a simulated consulting contract with a firm called Focus Social Research. The UDEF economic crime unit argues the findings point to a criminal organization led by Zapatero.
Calama refused to exclude the UDEF report from the case file, calling the financial flows relevant to determining whether illicit kickbacks occurred. The case stems from a broader investigation into a 53-million-euro pandemic bailout granted to airline Plus Ultra.