The first (or the second) Spanish president charged in democracy

BarcelonaOn June 2nd, a historic situation will unfold in the State: for the first time in democracy, a former Spanish government president will testify before a judge as an investigated person. It will be José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, of whom the magistrate José Luis Calama has indications that he headed a corrupt "network" of influence peddling. It will be the first if we assume that Spanish democracy restarts in 1977, with the first elections after the dictator's death. But during the Second Republic, a nascent democracy system had already been set in motion —in 1933 women could vote for the first time— and a former president had already been charged: in 1934 the Barcelona High Court — by delegation of the Supreme Court — investigated Manuel Azaña as a presumed collaborator in the proclamation of the Catalan State.in 1933 women were able to vote for the first timeDespite being protected by parliamentary immunity, the police arrested Azaña and the Attorney General filed charges for the crime of rebellion, the same crime for which Companys and his government would be convicted. Congress accepted the request for authorization and the Supreme Court referred the case to the Barcelona High Court. Three months later, the accusations against him were dismissed and he was released. Other presidents of the council of ministers would later be tried and repressed by Francoism, but there were no democratic courts there anymore.

Testimonials

Zapatero, therefore, will be the first investigated since the democratic transition, but all other presidents have also appeared before the courts as investigated individuals. For instance, the current head of the executive, Pedro Sánchez, had to attend via videoconference from Moncloa to the summons of Judge Juan Carlos Peinado. This was on July 30 and the statement lasted only two minutes, just enough time for Sánchez to indicate that he would not answer any questions due to the family connection he had with the main investigated person in the case, his wife, Begoña Gómez.

It was last July 30 and the statement lasted only two minutes,Mariano Rajoy also had to appear in court as a sitting president. This was on July 26, 2017, to testify in the Gürtel trial, the main corruption network linked to the PP. Although during the years the network operated he was the party's deputy secretary-general and campaign director for José María Aznar, he claimed to know nothing at all. Regarding Aznar specifically, he testified in another trial linked to PP corruption, the Bárcenas Papers. "I have never received any extra pay," he stated at the National Court.

Regarding the first two presidents of the democracy, Adolfo Suárez and Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, they testified once they had left office. Suárez testified in 1995 at the National Court in the Banesto case trial, for transfers of 300 million pesetas to his party at the time, the CDS; and Calvo-Sotelo did so in 1989 at the Valencia Court for the collapse of the Tous dam in 1982.