The Spanish government and its coalition partners face criticism after confidential messages and personal information belonging to former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero were disclosed during an ongoing investigation. The material reportedly included conversations with his secretary, Gertrudis Alcázar, private agenda entries and details of his daily life. The Madrid proceedings concern the alleged disclosure of information from police reports prepared by the National Police’s Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF), including material said to be unrelated to the underlying Plus Ultra investigation.
Transport and Sustainable Mobility Minister Óscar Puente stressed the severity of the leak, which exposed sensitive information such as email passwords and bank account details, as well as home addresses. He questioned the public interest in revealing private dinners and personal routines, which have no bearing on the case under investigation. Government spokesperson Elma Saiz called for strict adherence to legal principles protecting individual privacy and respect for judicial processes.
The leak allegations are being investigated separately from the Plus Ultra case. Judge José Luis Calama of Spain’s National Court, the Audiencia Nacional, referred the alleged disclosure to the ordinary courts in Madrid. The inquiry went to Investigating Court No. 16, presided over by Judge Margarita Valcarce. Zapatero has formally asked Calama to annul the investigation and exclude evidence obtained through the disclosures. Sumar deputy spokesperson Alberto Ibáñez criticized the publication of personal messages with no political or criminal relevance, arguing that it undermines democratic values. He said visits to the hairdresser and private meals should not be subject to public scrutiny.
Gabriel Rufián, spokesperson for ERC, called the exposure of Zapatero’s personal agenda “outrageous,” noting that similar leaks have gone unpunished in Spain for years. He questioned whether privacy protections can be relied on in high-profile legal cases, suggesting leaks to certain media outlets are almost inevitable.
Within the PSOE, party sources voiced alarm over the growing frequency of leaks involving information unrelated to official investigations. They warned that such practices violate the rights and privacy of those affected. Fundamental Rights, especially the right to privacy, must remain non-negotiable and take priority in judicial proceedings, they said.
Ester Muñoz, spokesperson for the Partido Popular in Congress, declined to discuss the specifics of the leak, saying only that the information forms part of an official investigation and a UDEF report. What ultimately matters, she said, is the judge’s assessment of the messages and payments.
The privacy inquiry is unfolding alongside Calama’s investigation into Plus Ultra, the airline that received a €53 million state rescue during the pandemic. Reporting on the case has described scrutiny of alleged influence-peddling links and jewelry seized by police from Zapatero’s office. Zapatero has reportedly said the jewelry was a gift from Saudi Arabia. Separately, the Madrid investigation concerns the alleged circulation of private information, including agenda entries and communications, beyond the issues examined in the Plus Ultra proceedings.
In a related step in the Plus Ultra case, Calama ordered the State Assets Directorate to provide records of institutional gifts made to the Presidency of the Government during Zapatero’s two terms, from 2004 to 2008 and from 2008 to 2011. The requested document is an acceptance and assignment record dated 1 March 2012. It concerns the gifts’ incorporation into state property and their allocation to the Presidency Ministry. Cadena SER reported that the judge required the records “as soon as possible and, in any event, within two days.” The request came before a ruling on submissions from Zapatero’s defense and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The records concern gifts received while Zapatero was prime minister, years before the pandemic-era rescue.
Reporting on the Plus Ultra proceedings has also described testimony from company owner Rodolfo Reyes, who told Calama he had met businessman Julio Martínez Martínez repeatedly in Venezuela. Martínez has been identified in that reporting as a long-time associate of Zapatero and owner of consultancy relevant analysis. UDEF reports have also examined messages and emails seized from people under investigation. These materials form part of an inquiry into alleged conduct; they do not by themselves establish criminal responsibility.
Recent developments, including Leire Díez’s decision to testify independently in court, have intensified debate over privacy and party discipline, as well as the limits of public interest. For more on the pressures facing PSOE leadership, see this analysis of Leire Díez’s independent testimony and its impact on the party.
Spain’s legal structure protects privacy as a basic right, but high-profile cases often test its limits. The proceedings raise two distinct questions: what information was relevant to the Plus Ultra investigation, and whether private material unrelated to suspected criminal conduct was unlawfully disclosed. The answers will shape debate over investigative transparency and individual rights, with public trust in the country’s institutions also at stake.
