Shoemaker Case: necessary explanations and reasonable suspicions

The indictment of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero by the National Court, which positions him as the "leader" of an international influence peddling and money laundering scheme, represents a political earthquake of great magnitude that threatens to leave his party, the PSOE, and Pedro Sánchez's government in a very deep crisis a year before the elections. It must be understood that Zapatero is a pivotal figure in the narrative of sanchismo; that he is the person who, during his term, initiated the break with the PSOE of Felipe González and Alfonso Guerra by questioning certain aspects of the Transition, and who has assisted the current president in both electoral campaigns and delicate matters, such as dialogue with Junts.

The judge's written statement is very forceful. According to him, Zapatero heads an international network that, thanks to his high-level contacts, was dedicated to influencing different administrations in favor of its clients. The operation under suspicion is the bailout of the Spanish airline Plus Ultra, but with a part of its Venezuelan shareholding. According to the judge, Zapatero allegedly intervened with the Spanish government so that the airline would be rescued with a loan of 53 million in 2020 due to the crisis that COVID caused in the aviation sector. In exchange for this and other services, the former president of the government and his daughters, owners of a marketing and advertising company, allegedly received up to two million euros from various shell companies.

In any case, the recent history of Spanish justice also invites caution. There are cases that fit perfectly into the definition of A case of 'lawfare'?

In any case, the recent history of the Spanish justice system also invites a certain prudence. There are cases that fit the definition of lawfareperfectly, such as the conviction of the Attorney General, the persecution of Sánchez's wife, the cases against Podemos, and, in the case of Catalonia, the two-year pre-trial detention suffered by Sandro Rosell, the convictions for sedition, or the Supreme Court's resistance to applying the amnesty. The PSOE is right when it recalls that, since José María Aznar uttered that phrase "whoever can, should do so", many things have happened in Spain. And normally, always in the same direction.

Now, however, it can be said that they have hit bone, because Zapatero is not just anyone, and the accusations tarnish and bring down the image he had built in recent years as an upright man and a beacon of Spanish progressivism. However the investigation ends, which could last for years, it is very difficult for his figure to recover. And that will indeed be a problem for the PSOE.