Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has formally criticized the National Court judge overseeing the Plus Ultra investigation after a procedural lapse exposed his personal agenda. The incident has focused attention on how sensitive data is handled in high-profile legal cases, prompting Zapatero's legal team to demand stronger safeguards for his privacy and personal life.
Documentation accessed by EL PAÍS shows that Zapatero's defense submitted a new request to Judge José Luis Calama, a magistrate of the Audiencia Nacional and head of Basic Investigating Court No. 4. The request urges the court to open a separate case file to screen out information unrelated to the ongoing investigation into alleged influence-peddling. The defense argues that the former prime minister's private life should not face unrestricted police scrutiny without clear judicial authorization or necessity.
Zapatero's lawyer, Víctor Moreno Catena, said the current approach risks exposing personal details unrelated to the case and potentially infringing on Fundamental Rights. The legal team says investigators should access only information directly connected to the Plus Ultra proceedings, with all other data systematically excluded to prevent further breaches.
The investigation centers in part on the €53 million state rescue granted to Plus Ultra after the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also examined alleged links between Zapatero and figures associated with the airline. Businessman Julio Martínez Martínez told Calama that he had passed information about the financing request to Zapatero, relaying matters he had been told and considered impressive. His account is testimony in an ongoing investigation, not a final judicial finding of criminal responsibility.
Calama has pursued other lines of inquiry, including a request for state records on institutional gifts received by the Presidency of the Government during Zapatero's terms in office, from 2004 to 2008 and from 2008 to 2011. Spanish media have reported that the request concerns jewellery found in a safe in Zapatero's office, initially valued at €1,323,915. These investigative steps help explain the legal team's demand for clear limits and safeguards in handling material gathered in the case.
The development comes amid broader scrutiny of how Spanish courts manage confidential information in politically sensitive cases. The Plus Ultra affair has drawn attention to the limits of judicial oversight and the privacy rights of public figures. Similar concerns about legal process and political influence arose in another recent case, where government intervention in a major financial rescue highlighted the complexities of state involvement and transparency.
In Spain, national law and European regulations protect the right to privacy, while high-profile investigations can raise questions about how that right should be balanced against evidence gathering. The Audiencia Nacional regularly handles cases involving political figures. The Plus Ultra proceedings remain at the investigative stage, and the outcome of Zapatero's request could shape how the case handles unrelated personal information.
