Spain’s National Court (Audiencia Nacional) has deliberately postponed the indictment of former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero until after the Andalusian regional elections, according to reports citing sources close to the investigation.
Zapatero was formally indicted on May 19 for alleged crimes including money laundering, influence peddling, document forgery and membership of a criminal organisation allegedly linked to the controversial €53 million bailout of Venezuelan-linked carrier Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas in March 2021.
It is the first time in Spanish history that a former prime minister has been charged with corruption offences.
He has been summoned to testify on June 2. The court also carried out searches of his office and other premises.
Spanish media report that the most sensitive actions, including the indictment itself, were ready weeks earlier but were intentionally held back so as not to influence the Andalusian vote on May 17.
According to Spanish media, investigating judge José Luis Calama, on the recommendation of Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Elena Lorente, decided to postpone the operation to avoid harming the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) during the regional elections.
This judicial delay stands in stark contrast to actions taken by the Spanish Socialist European Commissioner in the days immediately before the election.
Six days before Andalusians went to the polls, EU Executive Vice-President and Spanish Socialist Commissioner Teresa Ribera announced the approval of a €1.5 billion EU-backed state aid package for farmers and livestock breeders in Andalusia and neighbouring Extremadura, both regions affected by recent floods.
Ribera, a close ally of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, personally highlighted the decision on May 11.
Still, the Andalusian elections saw a collapse of the Socialist vote, despite an extensive campaign in the former red stronghold and the participation of María Jesús Montero, who serves as First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and is a close confidante of the Spanish prime minister.
A Spanish judge has placed former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero under formal investigation over a €53 million state bailout for the airline Plus Ultra. The move makes him the first former Spanish prime minister to be investigated for corruption since the country…
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 19, 2026
