Zapatero’s Daughters Received Over a Million Euros for Fictitious Services. The UDEF found that Zapatero’s daughters received large sums for submitting reports written by others. The money was funneled through the Whathefav agency and affiliated companies. The former prime minister himself was involved in the scheme.
Spanish police have uncovered a scheme involving the daughters of former Prime Minister Zapatero, Laura and Alba Rodríguez Espinosa, who received over a million euros for services with no real technical value. According to UDEF, the funds were channeled through their agency Whathefav SL, as well as a number of affiliated companies, including entities controlled by other prominent families.
The UDEF report, endorsed by Judge Calama, states that Whathefav SL received large sums from Análisis Relevante (€239,755) and Inteligencia Prospectiva SL (€561,440), as well as from Gate Center, linked to Zapatero himself (€171,727), and other companies. The total amount paid out from 2020 to 2024 reached €1,024,362.5. Investigators emphasize that the actual work performed by Whathefav was limited to packaging and forwarding already prepared reports, which did not correspond to their stated value.
The investigation paid special attention to the fact that Zapatero was authorized on his daughters' accounts, which, according to the police, confirms his direct involvement in the operations. Case files state that the Whathefav agency did not conduct ordinary business activities but was used as a tool for creating artificial documentation and redistributing funds among participants in the scheme.
Investigators note that the reports prepared for Análisis Relevante were not sent directly to clients, but distributed through Whathefav, where they were merely packaged and forwarded. UDEF believes this indicates the agency's work lacked real technical value and served as a formal cover for fund transfers.
As part of the investigation, police searched the offices of Whathefav SL to seize documents, invoices, and contracts related to the suspected operations. Zapatero himself confirmed in the Senate that he suggested hiring the daughters’ agency for communication and marketing tasks; however, at this time, Laura and Alba Rodríguez Espinosa do not have the status of defendants.
Similar questions about Zapatero’s activities have been raised in other cases involving allegations of influence peddling. For example, previously the court clarified details of the Plus Ultra case, in which the former prime minister was also under investigation — more on this can be found in the article on the key points of the Plus Ultra case.
Context: UDEF (Unidad de Delincuencia Económica y Fiscal) is a unit of the Spanish police specializing in the investigation of economic crimes. In recent years, Spain has seen increased scrutiny of schemes involving politicians’ relatives and the transparency of public and private contracts. Schemes involving fake services and artificial reporting often become the subject of legal proceedings, especially when public figures are involved.
