Former Spanish PM suspected of influence peddling for giving state money to airline

The National Court in Madrid is investigating possible financial abuses following the financial rescue of the airline Plus Ultra, which received 53 million euros of state money in 2021 as part of coronavirus recovery funds.

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Hoze Luis Rodrigez Zapatero, Photo: Shutterstock
Hoze Luis Rodrigez Zapatero, Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

A court in Spain announced today that it is opening an investigation against the country's former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for alleged influence peddling and other crimes, as part of an investigation into state funding of an airline during the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Court in Madrid is investigating possible financial abuses resulting from the financial rescue of the airline Plus Ultra, which received 53 million euros of state money in 2021 as part of coronavirus recovery funds.

The court said in a statement that the investigation into the financial aid had been extended to Zapatero, who was summoned to answer questions from the judge on June 2.

Zapatero was Prime Minister of Spain from 2004 to 2011, and the 65-year-old is a member of the Socialist Party led by current Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The former prime minister denied any wrongdoing in connection with the financial assistance at a hearing in March and said he "never received any commission from Plus Ultra."

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