A Spanish High Court judge investigating former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged corruption has launched a separate inquiry into jewellery worth an estimated €1.3 million discovered during a police search of his office.
The National Court announced on Friday that the former socialist (PSOE) leader is now being investigated for possible tax offences and smuggling in addition to the influence-peddling and money-laundering allegations he already faces. Zapatero, who served as Spain’s prime minister from 2004 to 2011, denies any wrongdoing.
The latest investigation stems from a search carried out on 19 May, during which officers found a collection of high-value jewellery in a safe at Zapatero’s office. Court-appointed experts later valued the items at around €1.3 million, far exceeding earlier estimates. ALSO READ: Judge delays Zapatero’s Plus Ultra testimony as police seize jewellery and luxury watches from safe.
Investigating judge José Luis Calama said the jewellery currently lacks documented proof of origin and that there is no evidence customs duties or import taxes were paid when the items entered Spain.
According to the court, Zapatero is suspected of being unable to justify payment of customs duties or other levies linked to the importation of the jewellery. The judge warned that possession of assets of such value without clear fiscal traceability could point to potential tax evasion or smuggling offences.
Spanish media reports said the collection includes jewellery made from gold, sapphires and emeralds originating from countries including Zambia and Thailand.
Zapatero is due to testify before the judge on 17-18 June in the wider corruption investigation. That case centres on allegations that he led an influence-peddling and money-laundering network which profited from lobbying public authorities on behalf of private interests. ALSO READ: Former Spanish PM Zapatero faces corruption probe over airline bailout.
Investigators are particularly examining claims that he improperly intervened in relation to a €53 million state rescue package granted in 2021 to Plus Ultra, a small Spanish-Venezuelan airline, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Luis Arroyo, a spokesman for Zapatero, apologised after previously downplaying the value of the jewellery before court experts completed their assessment. He had originally claimed the valuables were worth between €30,000 to €50,000.
‘I always try to provide information honestly and truthfully,’ Arroyo wrote on X. ‘He [Zapatero] will give explanations before the judge, including about that.’
Arroyo had earlier also said the jewellery largely consisted of family heirlooms belonging to Zapatero and his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa, along with gifts received during official foreign trips.
The affair has added to mounting pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE-led minority government, which has been rocked by a series of separate corruption controversies and allegations of interference in judicial investigations. ALSO READ: Spanish PM denies any knowledge of suspected scheme targeting corruption probes.
Recent polling suggests the scandals are beginning to affect public opinion. Spain’s state-run polling agency CIS recorded a sharp increase in the number of socialist voters who cited corruption as one of the country’s three biggest problems, rising from 5.9% in May to 16.5% in June. Support for Sánchez and the PSOE also fell by five percentage points over the same period. ALSO READ: Andalusia leaves Sánchez politically weakened as Spain edges further towards a PP-Vox era.
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«La procedencia de las joyas de Zapatero, clave para saber si hubo o no delito»
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) June 13, 2026
‘Zapatero deberá declarar el miércoles ante el juez para explicar, entre otras cuestiones, su origen’https://t.co/xCdmnhHi2N
Pido perdón en mi propio nombre por haber inducido a error sobre el valor de las joyas del presidente Zapatero.
— Luis Arroyo (@LuisArroyoM) June 12, 2026
Él dará explicaciones ante el juez, también sobre eso. Yo siempre trato de informar con honestidad y veracidad. No concibo la comunicación de otro modo.
Gracias.
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