The National Court rejects the lawsuit against Zapatero and will not investigate him for his relationship with Maduro

MadridA blow has been dealt to the far-right group Hazte Oír by the National Court. Judge Antonio Piña has dismissed the lawsuit filed by the organization against former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for money laundering, drug trafficking, and membership in a criminal organization due to his ties with Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan regime. After reviewing the document, he concluded that he cannot open a "prospective" investigation into the former Prime Minister's assets without evidence of criminal activity and without the original lawsuit providing "any facts" that could link Zapatero to the alleged crimes. In fact, Piña strongly criticized Hazte Oír: "Personal or popular belief cannot be confused with the existence of facts sufficient to warrant opening a criminal case." He added, "The public significance of lawsuits like this requires the presentation of evidence that goes beyond journalistic reports."

Elsewhere in the six-page ruling, it argues that if Hazte Oír's claim is that Zapatero's support for Maduro allowed the Maduro regime to endure, without providing any evidence or "concrete action" to suggest it did, then the National Court would not have jurisdiction over the situation in Venezuela.

A few days ago, the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office He refused to study the complaint. because it only reflected "unfounded conjectures, assumptions, and deductions" that were "lacking the slightest descriptive sense or any factual support." In a document, to which ARA had access, prosecutor Francisco Javier Redondo argued that the existence of a "formal accusation" against Maduro in the United States "cannot in any way imply Zapatero's involvement" in drug trafficking activities that "are described in general terms."

A "long-term, direct and privileged" relationship

Hazte Oír argued that the former Spanish president became a "necessary collaborator" in all of Nicolás Maduro's activities, including "criminal acts prosecuted by US authorities and courts," and alleged that Spain had "traditionally" been one of the "main legitimate" entry points for the US state to investigate him. The far-right group emphasized Zapatero's "prolonged, direct, and privileged" relationship with Maduro and the "trust, cooperation, and affinity" the former Spanish president had with the regime's "decision-making circles." Furthermore, it considered that Zapatero's "personal access" to the highest levels of Venezuelan power, his "active involvement in high-risk financial operations," and his "constant presence" as a "legitimizing figure" of the regime gave rise to a "relational network of extraordinary criminal gravity."