Politics · Spain · 13 hrs ago
Judge seeks records on gifts received by Zapatero’s government
A judge at Spain’s National Court has asked the state to provide records of institutional gifts to the government from 2004 to 2011, when José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was prime minister.
The request is part of an investigation into jewellery worth about €1.3 million found in Zapatero’s office.
Zapatero says the Saudi king gave him the jewellery in 2007, but he has not obtained a certificate from the Saudi embassy confirming the gift.
Records show that other gifts from Saudi Arabia were handed over to the state, but the jewellery is not listed.
The anti-corruption prosecutor says that, if Zapatero’s account is true, keeping the jewellery could amount to misuse of public funds.
The judge has given the state two days to provide the records before deciding whether to seek information from Saudi Arabia.
Judge José Luis Calama has ordered Spain’s State Heritage department to provide records of institutional gifts to the prime minister’s office from 2004 to 2011.
The records are sought before he decides whether to ask Saudi Arabia to confirm the origin of jewellery seized from former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Zapatero says the jewellery was a gift from the Saudi monarch in 2007 and has asked for international judicial cooperation to verify this.
Anti-Corruption prosecutors oppose that request and say keeping the jewellery could amount to misappropriation of public funds.
The jewellery was provisionally valued at 1.3 million euros, and the judge gave the department two days to respond.
- Who
- Judge José Luis Calama, former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
- What
- The judge requested records of institutional gifts to the prime minister’s office from 2004 to 2011. He will consider whether to seek confirmation from Saudi Arabia about jewellery seized from Zapatero.
- When
- The request was made on October 23, 2026. The judge gave the department two days to respond.
- Where
- Spain’s National Court and State Heritage department; the jewellery was seized from Zapatero’s office in Spain.
- Why
- The judge wants to clarify the jewellery’s origin before deciding whether to seek information from Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors say the records may help assess whether keeping the jewellery could constitute misappropriation of public funds.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Jewellery was seized during a search of Zapatero’s office, according to La Vanguardia.
Zapatero declined to testify about the jewellery, according to the prosecutor cited by La Vanguardia.
Zapatero said he had accepted the jewellery as a gesture of respect and gratitude to the Saudi monarch and asked for international cooperation to verify its origin.
Prosecutor Elena Lorente filed a submission arguing that the jewellery could involve misappropriation of public funds.
Judge Calama ordered State Heritage to provide gift records within two days before deciding whether to seek information from Saudi Arabia.
- Records requested
- Institutional gifts to the prime minister’s office, 2004–2011
- Response deadline
- Two days
- Jewellery’s provisional value
- 1.3 million euros
- Zapatero’s stated gift date
- 2007
- Judge
- José Luis Calama
- Investigation
- Plus Ultra case
4 sources
La Fiscalía pide añadir a la imputación de Zapatero el delito de malversación
El juez pide a Patrimonio que detalle los regalos a Presidencia del Gobierno de 2004 a 2011 para aclarar el origen de las joyas de Zapatero
La Fiscalía pide investigar a Zapatero por malversación y el juez reclama el acta de todos los regalos recibidos por Presidencia del Gobierno durante su mandato
What people are saying
por deferencia y como muestra de agradecimiento y respeto
injustificada y dudosamente operante
El foco no debe ponerse en ese país, sino en España y más concretamente en la sede de la Presidencia del Gobierno
viene a reconocer que, siendo presidente del Gobierno, aceptó unas joyas de muy significativo valor y que no las entregó a Patrimonio del Estado, como sí hizo con otros regalos