The Socialist leader has informed the judge investigating the Plus Ultra case that the jewelry found by police in his office safe—and valued at 1.3 million euros—was a “strictly personal gift” from the late King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, allegedly given during his official visit to Spain in 2007.
If this version is accepted as true, accepting those jewels could constitute an offense of passive improper bribery and, in any case, another tax offense—now past the statute of limitations—since Zapatero should have declared the supposed gift to the tax authorities.
This is leaving aside the fact that the then-president failed to comply with the Code of Good Governance that he himself promoted in 2005, which required returning the jewelry or handing it over to the State.
It has taken more than three months and even a court order for the former leader to offer a partial explanation regarding the precious stones found in his office.
Even assuming it was indeed a gift (rather than the payment of a commission within the framework of influence peddling, as the judge seems to suspect), it would be a gift received at La Moncloa when the then-secretary general of the PSOE was head of government. It is hard to believe that he is now trying to downplay it to a mere courtesy present, like a “box of traditional local products” (you know, Christmas pastries, etc.)—a comparison unluckily drawn yesterday by Minister Ángel Víctor Torres.
