Spain’s National Court made history last week by placing former Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero under investigation for allegedly leading a criminal network engaged in influence peddling, money laundering, document forgery, and related offenses.
The inquiry centers on the $61.5 million public bailout of the Venezuela-linked airline Plus Ultra. Court filings and raids on Zapatero’s office and his daughters’ company, Whathefav, allege he helped steer the funds and received roughly $2 million through offshore shell companies. Investigators are also examining alleged links to Venezuelan regime money tied to PDVSA oil schemes and the CLAP food program, whose corruption devastated ordinary Venezuelans. Assistance from U.S. homeland security investigators reportedly proved pivotal in exposing the network.
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This scandal reveals Zapatero as one of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s most valuable international assets. Defected Venezuelan military intelligence chief Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal testified that Maduro gifted Zapatero a gold mine in the Orinoco
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