cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/10309509

Spanish former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Thursday that €1.3 million ($1.5 million) of jewellery seized by police as part of ​an investigation was a personal gift he received years ago and ‌was never intended for financial gain.

Zapatero, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2011 and remains an influential figure in the governing Socialist Party, is under investigation ​over alleged influence-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.

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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.

Investigating Judge ‌Jose ⁠Luis Calama opened a separate probe into the jewellery, whose origin remains undocumented, according to investigators. An auction house provisionally valued them at about €1.3 million ($1.5 million), though Zapatero disputes that estimate.

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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 allegations.

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