MadridThis Thursday is an anniversary day. It has been exactly 26 years since José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was elected Secretary General of the PSOE. At that time, he could not have imagined that a quarter of a century later he would be sitting on the set of Mañaneros on TVE giving explanations for two serious criminal cases: one for alleged influence peddling for the Plus Ultra bailout and another for alleged smuggling of millionaire jewelry found in the safe of his office. Why has it appeared now? In fact, the explanations, according to what he himself had announced, should have arrived earlier. In his first video after the indictment, he announced that he would attend the media, but given the information that was appearing regarding his businesses, he decided to appoint a spokesperson, Luis Arroyo, president of the Ateneu Barcelonès.
Later, following the discovery of the jewels in the safe of his office and the opening of a smuggling case, he also assured the judge that he would explain the origin in about ten days. A month later, however, he has not yet done so and, this Thursday, he has limited himself to saying that it was a "courtesy gift". He states that the judge is the one who should first find out where they come from. We will see what he tells him when he transmits it to him and if there is a tax crime, considering that everything suggests it was a millionaire gift that he did not declare to the Treasury. If it is true, however, that he can prove that it happened "many years ago", it is probably a prescribed crime or administrative irregularity.
Thus, Zapatero's explanations come late, but they appear now because it was unsustainable to go on vacation without having spoken out. And even more so after his friend and alleged straw man, Julio Martínez Martínez, implicated him. It was also unsustainable for the Spanish government and the PSOE. Since the case broke out, the socialist leadership has referred to the eventual explanations that the former Spanish president may give, maintaining at all times the defense of his presumption of innocence. To the point that, from Moncloa, they assure that they also do not have more details about the origin of the jewels, but that they trust Zapatero's word.
PSOE sources on Thursday reaffirmed their support for the former president. They maintain, in this way, the same position since the first day, which is that they support him despite the criminal indications. "President Zapatero wanted to address the citizenry to offer explanations and reaffirm his innocence," these sources report, for this reason, "we maintain our support for him." In fact, from Ferraz they present Zapatero as a victim of the leaks of his case and because they are, they believe, a parallel trial that violates his defense rights: "His investigation has nothing to do with one with guarantees proper of a state of law."
An interview to protect Sánchez?
On the other end of the parliamentary spectrum, they have a completely different take. The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, believes that what Zapatero is doing is defending Pedro Sánchez, since if the influence peddling in the Plus Ultra rescue is proven, it would also fully implicate the Spanish government. In fact, the PP considers the interview to have been a "rip-off" and for Santiago Abascal, it was an indecent use of public television to "launder" the former president. Ester Muñoz (PP) made sure to recall that José Luis Ábalos also proclaimed his innocence.
Zapatero's explanations have not satisfied the right and have left many doubts in the air for those to the left of the PSOE –"a courtesy gift is a Christmas hamper," valued the spokesperson for ERC in Congress, Gabriel Rufián–, but it does give a reprieve to Pedro Sánchez's government after weeks of having to respond on behalf of the former president, even though from Moncloa they deny coordination. In fact, since the indictment on May 19th, Elma Saiz, spokesperson for the Spanish government, has had to respond every Tuesday to questions about this case. It should also be taken into account, to assess the timing chosen by Zapatero, that next Tuesday, after the council of ministers, Sánchez will offer the traditional end-of-term press conference. It would be different to face this appearance with Zapatero still remaining silent. Three years after the campaign for the July 23rd elections, in which the former president was key for the PSOE to make a comeback and gather enough votes to govern again, Zapatero once again comes to the rescue.
