{"id":59719,"date":"2026-07-23T15:50:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/59719\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T15:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:50:08","slug":"spains-zapatero-says-seized-jewels-worth-1-5-million-were-a-courtesy-gift-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/59719\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain’s Zapatero Says Seized Jewels Worth $1.5 Million Were a ‘Courtesy Gift’"},"content":{"rendered":"

MADRID, July 23 (Reuters) – Spanish former Prime Minister \u2060Jose \u2060Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on \u2060Thursday that \u20ac1.3 million ($1.5 million) of jewellery seized by police \u200bas part of an investigation was a personal gift he received years ago and \u200cwas never intended for financial \u200cgain.<\/p>\n

Zapatero, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2011 and remains an \u2060influential figure \u2060in the governing Socialist Party, is under investigation over alleged \u200binfluence-peddling, accusations he denies. The case is one of a series of corruption scandals affecting the party and piling political pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government.<\/p>\n

In his first \u200binterview since being placed under investigation two months ago, Zapatero told Spanish \u2060public \u2060broadcaster TVE that the \u2060jewels found \u200bduring a search of his office were “a personal courtesy gift” that had been \u200bstored for years with \u2060other family valuables.<\/p>\n

The jewels were unrelated to his political activities and their origin and handling would be fully explained before a judge, he said. He rejected suggestions they reflected any attempt at personal enrichment.<\/p>\n

Investigating Judge Jose Luis Calama opened \u2060a separate probe into the jewellery, whose origin remains undocumented, according to \u2060investigators. An auction house provisionally valued them at about \u20ac1.3 million ($1.5 million), though Zapatero disputes that estimate.<\/p>\n

Zapatero said that, with hindsight, he might not have accepted the gift.<\/p>\n

“Looking back, I would have probably taken another decision,” he said.<\/p>\n

The jewellery is one strand of a wider investigation that also includes allegations that Zapatero profited from using his influence to secure the state-backed rescue of airline Plus Ultra. He also denies those \u2060allegations.<\/p>\n

The opposition People’s Party (PP) dismissed Zapatero’s comments on Thursday.<\/p>\n

PP spokesperson Ester Mu\u00f1oz said Zapatero “has every right to lie, but he has not answered any of the questions or doubts Spaniards had” about the case.<\/p>\n

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; additional reporting by Javi West Larra\u00f1agaEditing \u200bby Charlie Devereux and Gareth Jones)<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See \u2013 June 2026<\/p>\n

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