Police seize work emails of Zapatero's daughters and What The Fav employees. UDEF conducted a search at the agency What The Fav, linked to Zapatero's daughters. Emails, contracts, and documents relating to multiple companies were confiscated. Investigators suspect a scheme involving fictitious services.
In Madrid, UDEF officers conducted a large-scale search at the offices of the What The Fav agency, headed by Alba and Laura Rodríguez—daughters of former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. According to EL PAÍS, police copied the professional email accounts of both sisters and several company employees, and seized a number of contracts, including an agreement with the Spanish division of Huawei.
The operation took place in the morning when Alba Rodríguez opened the agency’s door. Over nearly six hours, investigators worked in the presence of both sisters and their lawyer. A meeting room was allocated for the work, where police gathered documents, including invoices, contracts, and materials related to various agency projects.
Particular attention was paid to the contract with Huawei España, signed in October 2020. The materials also included documents on 'social initiatives in Latin America,' information on projects related to the situation in Gaza, strategic plans of the company Oro Azul, and an agreement with Alemany Asesores Consultores. In addition to paper documents, files from computers and cloud storage relevant to the investigation were copied.
The investigation believes that What The Fav may have been used as a tool for making payments to Zapatero and his circle for 'illegal influence'. The agency has come under scrutiny due to its ties with the consulting firm Análisis Relevante, which is involved in the Plus Ultra case. According to investigators, since 2020, Zapatero has been providing consulting services to this company and proposed involving his daughters' agency. In June 2020, What The Fav and Análisis Relevante signed a two-year contract with a payment of €3,000 per month. However, by 2024 the total amount paid had reached €203,000. Judge Calama believes that the agency did not provide actual services but instead issued fake invoices and contracts to legalize income related to lobbying activities, including supporting the bailout of the airline Plus Ultra in 2021.
From 2020 to 2024, more than half of What The Fav’s income (€794,183) came from Análisis Relevante and related entities. Over €500,000 came from Inteligencia Prospectiva, S.L, which, according to investigators, was not engaged in real activity and is owned by individuals linked to the Venezuelan regime.
At this time, neither Alba nor Laura Rodríguez has the status of defendants. Attention to the case intensified after former Prime Minister Zapatero publicly confirmed his ties with Análisis Relevante. In the context of the ongoing investigation, it's worth noting that the public reaction to Zapatero's involvement in the Plus Ultra case was previously commented on by former Prime Minister Felipe González, who expressed surprise at the severity of the judicial measures (more on González’s reaction).
For reference: UDEF is a specialized division of the Spanish police focusing on economic and financial crimes. The Plus Ultra case is related to the government bailout of the airline of the same name, which sparked significant public reaction and investigations into possible corruption and abuse of influence. Huawei España is a subsidiary of the Chinese technology corporation, actively operating in the Spanish market. As of publication, the investigation is ongoing, and the status of those involved may change as new information emerges.
