La caída de Zapatero

In just six months, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has seen his image as a moral compass of the left crumble, transforming him into a suspect in a corruption network. It all began at the end of last year when media outlets like El Debate and El Mundo exposed his ties to Julio Martínez, alias "Julito," a businessman linked to the Plus Ultra airline scandal. Before the scandal, the buzz surrounding Zapatero centered on his opaque international business dealings and his controversial role as a spokesperson for Chavismo. While some believed he was whitewashing Venezuela out of sheer naiveté, others suspected he was being paid for these favors, something the current judicial investigation seems to fully corroborate. Despite the seriousness of the evidence, the PSOE's reaction has been striking. Unlike the forceful stance taken against other high-ranking officials like Ábalos or Cerdán, the party and Pedro Sánchez have closed ranks around him. In private, however, the atmosphere is funereal, as it's impossible to justify certain invoices, emails, and the jewelry in his safe. Initial suspicions took shape when the UDEF (Financial and Economic Crime Unit) raided Plus Ultra in December and arrested the businessman. Just four days later, Zapatero held an almost clandestine meeting with him. In January, it came to light that the network operated through companies like Análisis Relevante, where the former president allegedly billed €450,000 under the pretext of sham global consultancies to divert funds. The final blow came on May 19, when Judge José Luis Calama formally charged him just as he was planning a trip to Venezuela. The magistrate accuses him of leading a hierarchical structure dedicated to influence peddling, ordering a search of his office on Ferraz Street and the company Whathefav, owned by his daughters. Although the judge had been certain of the charges for weeks, he postponed the notification to avoid interfering with the Andalusian elections, in which Zapatero actively participated. The police reports are damning, demonstrating that he billed for dozens of trips that strangely coincided with the inexplicable diplomatic shifts of the Sánchez government regarding Morocco and Western Sahara. The most surreal detail of the search was the discovery of 103 pieces of jewelry valued at 1.3 million euros hidden in his safe. The excuses from his inner circle have been contradictory, ranging from justifying it as a family inheritance to claiming it was a lavish gift from the King of Saudi Arabia. All of this, coupled with his alleged role as a mediator for Venezuelan oil in China and his arrogant and empty demeanor during his court testimony on June 17, leaves him in an untenable position. The recent indictment of his own daughters for managing the shell company that received the illicit funds speaks volumes about the sense of impunity Zapatero felt, believing himself untouchable. #FernandoDiazVillanueva #zapatero #corruption