Spanish police have seized jewelry, luxury watches, and documents from the office of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, as part of his investigation into the Plus Ultra case, which involved the public-funded bailout of the airline of the same name in 2021.

According to the police report, during the search carried out last Tuesday in the Socialist leader's office, officers found 103 luxury items in a safe: 41 pairs of earrings, 15 necklaces, 11 bracelets, 8 watches, and about twenty accessories.

The former prime minister's secretary, Geltrudis Alcazar, was present during the raid. She told investigators that the safe came from the family home and its contents were "part of the inheritance of Sonsoles Espinosa," the former prime minister's wife, and "part received during official and private trips," according to Spanish media reports, including El Mundo. The same newspaper reported that some of the jewelry matched those publicly displayed by the former prime minister's wife at official events.

The agents also seized paper documents, a folder called "Analisis Relevante", like one of the companies under investigation, and diaries in President Zapatero's name from 2020 to 2025, as well as hard drives and USB sticks.

Searches were also carried out at the offices of the Spanish Socialist Party. The intervention by Guardia Civil officers at the Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid constituted "a request for information, not a search," but "the gravity" of the ongoing investigations should not be underestimated, and "in the event of irregularities," the party itself "will act with the same determination as always" in taking action against those implicated, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a statement to reporters in Rome. "We are ready to fully cooperate with the justice system, which we respect," Sánchez added.

(Unioneonline)