Former Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero is under investigation linked to airline bailout

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MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court is investigating former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling and other possible crimes tied to a government airline bailout.

The National Court in Madrid is probing possible financial wrongdoing in connection with the Spanish government’s rescue of the Plus Ultra airline, which in 2021 received 53 million euros (now $62 million) in public money as part of COVID-19 recovery funds.

The court said in a statement that the investigation was widened to include Zapatero, who was summoned to answer a judge’s questions on June 2. Police with warrants from the investigating judge searched Zapatero’s office on Tuesday.

Zapatero, 65, was prime minister from 2004 to 2011 and had been out of public office for a decade when Plus Ultra received the bailout.

He is a member of the Socialist party headed by current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose party has been rocked by other corruption scandals over the past two years.

Zapatero denied any wrongdoing.

“All of my public and private activities have always been conducted in full compliance with the law," he said in a statement to Spanish media. “My private activities and the income and compensation I have received have been declared via income tax with absolute transparency and legality.”

Plus Ultra is a Spanish-owned airline with investors from Venezuela. It specialized in flights between Spain and Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador.

Since leaving office, Zapatero has focused a large part of his activity on maintaining dialogue with the government in Venezuela, which was largely isolated from Western countries after it cracked down on the democratic opposition.

When asked about Zapatero on Tuesday, Spanish government spokesperson Elma Saiz told reporters that the administration is “approaching the news with calm, confidence, prudence and respect for the law.”

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.