MADRID: Former Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday began two days of unprecedented court hearings on suspected influence peddling, the latest corruption affair threatening the leftist government.
The investigation into the Socialist titan comes as a string of graft probes into Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s family and former top political allies have threatened to topple his minority coalition.
Clashes with US President Donald Trump and virulent criticism of Israel have made Sanchez a global progressive star, but the scandals have eroded the domestic standing of one of Europe’s few remaining Socialist leaders.
Zapatero, who governed Spain from 2004 to 2011, was placed under formal investigation last month for alleged influence peddling in connection with the bailout of small airline Plus Ultra in 2021.
Plus Ultra received 53 million euros ($61.5 million) of public money after the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed global travel.
