A witness told the Fiscalía Anticorrupción that jewels found in José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s office were payment tied to the AVE a La Meca. Investigators have yet to verify the claim.
Police found more than 60 pieces of jewellery in a safe at Zapatero’s office. Another account put the total at 103 items, including watches.
El Debate reports that a woman sent documents to the Fiscalía Anticorrupción and investigators from Yeda. She reportedly held a senior role connected with public procurement for a Spanish company in Arabia Saudí. The newspaper says the material reached the team of prosecutor Elena Lorente about three weeks ago, after it was submitted in late September 2026.
Her account puts the alleged commission at 2.5% of the award for a maintenance contract linked to the Saudi high-speed rail project. It concerns that contract, not the railway construction contract as a whole. The allegation has not been established as fact.
The witness named four people who could corroborate her account: a Saudi negotiator and three Spanish executives in the sector. Investigators must determine whether the documents support her version and whether those people can confirm it.
That account conflicts with the explanation Zapatero gave judge José Luis Calama in September. He said the 12 most valuable pieces were a personal gift from King Abdalá bin Abdulaziz, presented in 2007 during an official visit to Spain. His defence asked Saudi Arabia to cooperate in verifying the jewels’ origin.
The witness links the jewellery to the AVE a La Meca project. Its commercial and political preparation involved Spanish companies and Saudi public clients. Negotiations began in 2009, while Zapatero was at La Moncloa. The contract was awarded in 2012, after he left office. She says the alleged 2.5% commission was calculated against the award for the line’s maintenance contract. Her account still needs verification, a distinction also relevant to a separate police review covered in this Madrid report.
Calama commissioned jeweller Ansorena to make a preliminary valuation of the most valuable pieces. It exceeded €1.3 million.
