The UDEF has uncovered thousands of messages exchanged between José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and his secretary, María Gertrudis Alcázar Jiménez, offering a look at the former prime minister's agenda throughout 2025 and 2026. Alcázar has been publicly identified as an employee associated with Zapatero's office, performing secretarial and administrative duties. The messages detail high-level meetings alongside everyday tasks and personal routines.
One impressive exchange took place on the rainy morning of January 16. Zapatero instructed his secretary to deliver an envelope directly to "el presi" after telling her he would skip his usual morning run and that his security detail needed to be informed. He also arranged to be picked up from his Las Rozas residence at 11:30 for scheduled appointments. The messages suggest security staff often acted as intermediaries, passing documents and personal items between Zapatero and Alcázar.
The chats show how the former leader's daily life intersected with official duties. Alcázar frequently referred to the security agents as "the boys" and coordinated with them to deliver items such as Zapatero's health card and written notes. In response to one request, Zapatero clarified that a specific envelope needed to be handed over, reflecting the trust placed in his team for personal and professional matters.
References to "el presi" recur in the recovered messages. In July 2025, for example, Zapatero asked Alcázar to remind him about an upcoming meeting in León and sought confirmation of the timing with "el presi." In September 2025, shortly before the arrest of his associate Julio Martínez, Zapatero told his secretary about schedule changes following a meeting with "el presi" and mentioned later appointments with central government figures at the Ministry of the Presidency in Moncloa.
The exchanges show a tightly managed agenda, combining high-level political meetings with reminders about everyday needs, including medication and dental supplies, as well as medical and hairdresser appointments. They also show Zapatero's direct involvement in organizing meetings. In a November 2025 exchange, he told Alcázar that he had personally arranged a gathering at Moncloa; she congratulated him on his initiative.
Other reported records place Alcázar's administrative work within the wider inquiry surrounding Zapatero and Plus Ultra. El Confidencial and El Confidencial Digital report that she handled a reservation for a January 26, 2021 meeting at Madrid's Portonovo restaurant, where Martínez was also named in the reservation records. One of Zapatero's security officers reportedly went to the restaurant after telephone contact failed. Martínez later told a judge, “Sí, esa comida estuvo” (“Yes, that meal took place”).
The wider Plus Ultra investigation concerns the airline's €53 million rescue, granted by Spain's state-owned industrial holding company SEPI in March 2021. The Audiencia Nacional is examining allegations that part of the rescue money was used to launder illicit funds and that influence peddling was involved. Zapatero has been named among those under investigation in connection with alleged offenses including criminal organization, influence peddling and document falsification; these are allegations, not convictions. UDEF officers reportedly arrested Plus Ultra president Julio Martínez and chief executive Roberto Roselli while searching the company's headquarters.
Investigative reporting has also described financial and corporate inquiries involving Martínez. El Periódico reported that a UDEF report dated June 9 examined alleged payments of €290,400 from Venezuelan businessman Camilo Ibrahim Issa to Martínez during 2024 and 2025. The Objective reported that investigators examined a €181,037 payment to Nez Asesores, a company administered by Martínez, and that the company moved about €1.3 million through its accounts. Those reported transactions form part of the inquiry; they are not, by themselves, judicial findings of wrongdoing.
El Confidencial has also reported that Martínez told the Audiencia Nacional he created a British Virgin Islands company in 2012, a year after Zapatero left office. The company was allegedly used to control an account at Andorran bank MoraBanc. A 2016 balance reportedly showed $618,730, or about €544,000 at the exchange rate cited at the time. The account's beneficial ownership remains part of the investigation. UDEF reportedly intervened communications involving Martínez and the Andorran entity in December 2025.
Judicial scrutiny extends to other aspects of the case. Judge José Luis Calama of the Audiencia Nacional requested records from the state-property authority on official gifts received by the Presidency of the Government during Zapatero's terms, from 2004 to 2008 and 2008 to 2011. The request was linked to jewelry found in a safe at the former president's office. El Independiente reported that the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office had also asked for Zapatero to be investigated for possible misappropriation, while the judge awaited submissions from prosecutors and the defense.
The handling of sensitive investigative material has prompted a separate proceeding. ElPlural reported that Judge Margarita Valcarce of Madrid's Investigating Court No. 16 ordered an inquiry into the alleged dissemination of information from UDEF reports concerning Zapatero. The material reportedly included personal appointments, meetings, addresses, passwords and conversations with Alcázar. Calama had separated the matter and referred it to the Madrid courts, information from the report.
This glimpse into Zapatero's communications comes as internal party dynamics and leadership decisions face scrutiny. The management of personal and official affairs through private channels echoes broader concerns about transparency and internal coordination, a topic also explored when a former PSOE insider prepared to testify independently, raising pressure on party leadership.
The UDEF (Unidad de Delincuencia Económica y Fiscal) is Spain's specialized police unit focused on economic and financial crimes. Its investigations often bring to light how political figures and their teams operate. The messages document Zapatero's approach to managing his post-presidential activities and highlight the blurred lines between personal routines and official responsibilities at the highest levels of Spanish politics.
