Politics · Spain · 1 hr ago
Spanish judge seeks records on Zapatero's €1.3 million jewels
A Spanish judge is investigating jewels linked to former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero as part of the Plus Ultra case.
The jewels, valued at €1.3 million, were found in a safe at his Madrid office and had not been declared to the tax agency.
Zapatero says Saudi King Abdullah gave him the jewels as an official gift in 2007.
The judge has asked Spain's state assets office for records of gifts to the prime minister's office during 2004–2011.
Investigators suspect the jewels may instead have been an illegal payment, while prosecutors say Zapatero has not provided convincing proof of their origin.
Saudi Arabia declined to issue certificates about the jewels, and the judge has ordered the records to be sent within two days; the inquiry is examining whether the case could involve misuse of public funds.
A Spanish judge has ordered records on gifts made to the prime minister’s office from 2004 to 2011 as he investigates jewels valued at €1.3 million linked to former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Judge José Luis Calama gave the State Heritage department two days to provide the records.
Zapatero says the jewels were a 2007 gift from Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz at the Palace of La Moncloa.
The judge and anti-corruption prosecutors suspect the jewels may instead have been an illegal payment.
The records could help establish whether the jewels were official gifts that should have entered state ownership.
- Who
- Judge José Luis Calama ordered the records. The investigation concerns former Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
- What
- The judge ordered records of institutional gifts to the prime minister’s office. The inquiry concerns jewels valued at €1.3 million.
- When
- The order was issued the Friday before the article was published on October 26, 2026.
- Where
- The records concern gifts to Spain’s prime minister’s office and the Ministry of the Presidency.
- Why
- Investigators want to check whether the jewels were an official gift that should have become state property, or an illegal payment.
Investigators and anti-corruption prosecutors
Zapatero and his defence
Nature of the jewels
Investigators and anti-corruption prosecutors
They suspect the jewels were an illegal payment in kind, not an official gift.
Zapatero and his defence
Zapatero’s account is that they were a gift from Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz in 2007.
Documentation
Investigators and anti-corruption prosecutors
They say the account lacks credible documentary support.
Zapatero and his defence
His defence sought documents from Saudi Arabia and submitted letters, according to the article.
Legal implications
Investigators and anti-corruption prosecutors
They say the jewels may have been diverted public funds if they were an official gift; investigators also suspect an illegal payment.
Zapatero and his defence
His defence argued the account supported its position on the limitation of the alleged tax fraud and the smuggling charge.
Zapatero says Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz gave him the jewels at the Palace of La Moncloa.
A valuable clock from the same monarch was handed over to State Heritage, according to the article.
Zapatero gave a statement as a person under investigation, according to the article.
Judge Calama ordered the State Heritage department to provide records of institutional gifts within two days.
- Jewels' estimated value
- €1.3 million
- Records requested
- Acceptance and allocation records for institutional gifts to the prime minister’s office
- Period covered
- 2004–2008 and 2008–2011
- Deadline for records
- Two days
- Comparable gift
- A gold desk clock with emeralds was handed to State Heritage on March 1, 2012
What people are saying
an exercise in pure wishful thinking
to consider even the dates of those letters valid