Zapatero Faces Tax Fraud Inquiry After €1.3m Jewellery Haul Found in Office Safe

A Spanish judge has opened a separate criminal investigation into former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged tax fraud and smuggling, after a court-ordered raid on his Madrid office uncovered a cache of luxury watches and jewellery valued at €1.3 million. The move deepens the legal jeopardy for the Socialist elder statesman, who was already under formal investigation for influence peddling linked to the 2021 government bailout of airline Plus Ultra. The new probe, announced on Friday, focuses on whether import duties and taxes were paid on the items, which were found in a safe during the May raid.

A forensic valuation by the prestigious Madrid jeweller Ansorena and the Spanish Gemological Institute catalogued the haul, which ranged from trinkets described as “worthless” to a white-gold necklace studded with diamonds and two natural Zambian emeralds, appraised at €278,000 alone. Other pieces included a necklace with 13 Thai sapphires and numerous rings, bracelets and earrings. The total preliminary valuation reached €1,323,915. Zapatero’s spokesman, Luis Arroyo, initially dismissed the items as of little value, but later issued a public apology for having “misled” the media, a retraction widely reported in the Spanish press.

The affair carries acute political resonance. Zapatero, who governed Spain from 2004 to 2011, remains an influential figure within the ruling Socialist Party and a close ally of current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Viewed from Madrid, the scandal is particularly awkward because Zapatero campaigned alongside former finance minister María Jesús Montero, who for eight years oversaw Spain’s tax authority, urging voters to “defend the public sector” by paying their fair share. The irony of a former leader stockpiling undeclared luxury goods while his party hectors the wealthy has not been lost on opposition figures or the Spanish media.

International observers have framed the case as another blow to Sánchez’s fragile coalition. Swedish and Brazilian outlets noted that the smuggling and tax allegations compound the corruption suspicions already swirling around the Plus Ultra rescue, which critics allege was steered by Zapatero for personal gain. The former prime minister is scheduled to testify on 17 and 18 June. Analysts in London suggest that even if the jewellery probe yields only financial penalties, the reputational damage to the Socialist brand could prove lasting, especially as Spain heads into a contentious electoral cycle.