👮‍♀️ Spain's most wanted

Madrid | Issue #148

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The scandals don't stop

👨🏻‍⚖️ From ex-PM to suspect: Zapatero corruption investigation shakes Spanish politics

Political earthquake. One of Pedro Sánchez's closest allies just achieved a first, and not in a good way.

• Former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE, 2004–2011) has been formally placed under investigation in a corruption case tied to the controversial €53m pandemic-era bailout of Venezuela-focused airline Plus Ultra that, per the judge, may have involved Maduro-regime money, Emirati shell companies, and Zapatero's daughters' marketing agency. Yes, really.

• This is the first time in modern Spanish democracy that an ex-PM is formally under criminal investigation for corruption.

The case in a nutshell. At its core, it’s about whether Zapatero used his political influence to help Plus Ultra secure the €53m bailout, and whether he and people around him financially benefited from it.

• Undercover organization. The judge believes Zapatero may have been part of an elaborate network (think Emirati shell companies, dodgy payments, and behind-the-scenes lobbying) designed to push favorable decisions through the PSOE-led government's channels.

• The Caracas connection. The investigation even appears to involve money from the dictatorial regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (with which Zapatero was very cozy), which adds an extra geopolitical layer to an already sordid story.

Not just him. The case pulls in Zapatero's close associate and running buddy, Julio Martínez, who allegedly helped manage the business side of things, as well as companies linked to Zapatero’s goth-kid daughters. (If you've never seen the photo with the Obamas, you've got to take a look.)

• Free money! Their marketing agency, Whathefav, is under scrutiny for receiving big payments from firms connected to the scheme for doing basically nothing. In total, investigators are looking at around €1.95m in suspected commissions, with about a quarter going to Whathefav.

• Zapatero says this is all bullshit nonsense. He released a video saying he has “never” intervened in any public decision related to the bailout and insists everything he’s done has been on the up and up. He’s also framing this as part of a broader campaign against him. (Being the subject of a conspiracy is all the rage these days; just ask the Orange Menace.)

PSOE closes ranks. Sánchez, who relies on Zapatero as a key adviser, and his PSOE have given Zapatero full-throated backing, stressing the presumption of innocence and ye olde right-wing conspiracy.

• But this couldn't come at a worse time. Sánchez is already dealing with corruption allegations involving people very close to him, including his wife, his brother, and two of his right-hand men. This just tosses gasoline on a fire that was already burning.

The right is in attack mode. The center-right PP is demanding explanations (and of course elections) and tying Zapatero directly to Sánchez, arguing this reflects a broader stain of corruption on his government.

• Blow it all up. Far-right Vox has gone further, pushing (again) for a motion of no confidence. The PP said no and called the idea childish.

Well, that's a surprise. Zapatero has been seen as a relatively “clean” former leader compared to Spain’s long list of corruption scandals. The fact that even left-leaning media are treating this as serious (and referring to Sánchez's political movement as "sanchismo", an old PP talking point) tells you everything you need to know about how bad this could get.

• We'll sit the one out. Even the government’s leftist allies in Parliament, like Sumar or ERC, are being cautious and have switched from crying “lawfare” to being “prudent” as the case moves forward.

Next stop. Zapatero is due to testify on June 2 before the National High Court. From there, the case could expand, stall, or explode, depending on what investigators find. One thing it won't do? Go away.

More news below. 👇👇

💬 Five things to discuss at dinner parties

1. 🗳️ The PP wins — but does it really? — in Andalucía

Not great results for pretty much everyone. Andalucía voted Sunday, and while the result looks like a clear win for the PP and a clear loss for the PSOE — and both are true — the reality is a lot messier.

• Happy? The PP, led in Andalucía by current regional president (aka governor) Juan Manuel Moreno, won the regional elections comfortably, finishing far ahead of the PSOE.

• Not happy. But the headline isn’t the victory—it’s what they didn’t get: a majority. The PP secured 53 seats, down from 58, falling short of the 55 needed to govern alone.

And the others. The PSOE, led by María Jesús Montero, dropped to 28 seats (from 30), marking its worst result ever in the region. Once the dominant force in Andalucía, where it regularly flirted with 50% of the vote, it now gets less than 23%. This is its fifth straight defeat in the region. Bad, bad, bad.

• Holding steady. Far-right Vox edged up slightly to 15 seats (+1), while leftish coalition Por Andalucía (basically Sumar+Podemos) held steady at 5.

• Lefty surprise. The real surprise came from leftist localists of Adelante Andalucía, which surged from 2 to 8 seats. The new player siphoned off votes and blocked the PP and PSOE from translating their support into seats.

• Newbies on the rise. Adelante Andalucía's rise and Vox's continued strength shows (again) that voters are tired of big mainstream parties (the PSOE especially). Instead, they're moving to more local and identity-driven movements.

No majority? No Yes, problem. Moreno, who has built his brand on moderation and distance from the far right, now needs Vox to govern. Whether that’s through abstention or a formal deal, Vox holds the key. Which stinks if you're Moreno.

• Vox has already made clear it wants policy concessions, including its controversial “national priority” in access to public benefits, and the end of “socialist policies” in agriculture, immigration, and energy.

Up and to the right. This election was the last major regional test before Spain heads toward general elections next year (or earlier), and it reinforces a broader trend. Across recent votes in Aragón, Extremadura, Castilla y León, and now Andalucía, the right has consistently outperformed the left.

• Even here, where the PP stumbled slightly, the right-wing bloc still holds a big majority. Spain ain't shifting overnight, but the direction is hard to ignore.

2. 👮 The son of Mango’s founder is arrested in his father’s death because his story's got holes like Swiss cheese

The whole “accidental” death of Isak Andic is looking less accidental. Jonathan Andic, the heir to the multi-billion-euro Mango fortune, was taken into custody by Catalan police Tuesday — on suspicion of, well, pushing his father off a cliff — questioned, and released on €1 million bail. And with that move, armchair Agatha Christies the world over now feel vindicated.

The case. We’ve covered this before: Isak — Istanbul-born billionaire, worth €4.5bn at his death — fell over 100m from a cliffside Montserrat hiking trail in December 2024, with Jonathan the only witness.

• For the uninitiated: Mango is Spain’s second-largest fashion empire (behind Inditex, aka Zara et al.), with more than 2,000 stores and €3.8bn in annual sales, all built from a single Barcelona shop Isak opened in 1984.

• Second generation less genius. Jonathan ran the business in the mid-2010s before his father had to step back in to steady the ship. Things between them were never the same.

The case was closed within six days of Isak’s death. But then it was reopened in January — and on Tuesday the judge lifted judicial secrecy and issued a 17-page ruling finding “sufficient evidence” of “active and premeditated” involvement.

The evidence. The judge found nine indications of a crime. These are the ones that sting:

• Jonathan told police he’d visited the trail once, about two weeks before the fatal hike. But traffic cameras and Barcelona’s low-emissions plate system placed his car at the site on Dec. 7, 8, and 10 — three times in the week before his father died.

• A mark at the scene looked like a slip—or push. Police ran 10 simulations and concluded it required deliberately rubbing a shoe sole back and forth at least four times. Not a trip.

• The autopsy found no injuries to Isak’s palms. He didn’t try to break his fall. He went “like a toboggan”, feet first.

• Jonathan called his father’s phone first after the fall — then his partner, then 112 — and gave different versions to the dispatcher and to police. When investigators asked for his phone, he handed over two — but neither was the one he’d used that day.

• In March 2025, Jonathan swapped phones, wiped the old one, and told his secretary it had been stolen during a trip to Quito, Ecuador — the same week news broke that the case had been reopened. The Mossos found no evidence of theft.

• WhatsApp messages showed what the judge describes as an “obsession with money” — and writings in which Jonathan allegedly expressed “hatred, resentment, ideas of death” toward his father.

The motive. In mid-2024, Isak informed Jonathan he was planning to change his will to create a charitable foundation (i.e., less for Jonathan and his two siblings). Jonathan’s attitude shifted “notably.” He proposed the hike as a reconciliation. The foundation was never established.

• The family. A spokesperson declared there are “no legitimate pieces of evidence against him.” Jonathan’s lawyer called the allegation “inconsistent — it stigmatizes an innocent man.”

What’s next? Jonathan has to make weekly court appearances, but he hasn’t been formally charged (yet). If he is, he faces a jury trial and 10 to 15 years. Mango continues under CEO Toni Ruiz, who paid shareholders (the fam owns 95%) a record €217.6m dividend last year.

• More secrecy: Jonathan secretly married fashion influencerPaula Nata three months before his father’s death.

3. 💑 Awwww, Spain and Mexico are BFFs again

Claudia and Felipe sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G (figuratively, of course). After years of kinda, sorta not getting along because of some stuff that happened, like, 500 years ago, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum invited Spain’s King Felipe VI over to her house, and he accepted — and not even the Wicked Witch of the West Real Casa de Correos (you know who we mean) could keep them apart, try as she might.

• What really happened. Felipe VI will attend Spain’s third World Cup group game — against Uruguay, June 26, in Guadalajara — after Sheinbaum personally invited him by letter back in February. He’s already told FIFA President Gianni Infantino too, presumably to lock in good seats.

The breakup. A quick recap: in 2019, Mexico’s then-president AMLO formally asked Felipe (aka F6) to apologize for, you know, Hernán Cortés’s conquest of the Aztecs in 1521 — and, not surprisingly, got radio silence in return. And so, on taking office, AMLO’s protege Sheinbaum didn’t invite F6 to her inauguration. The Casa Real was not royally amused.

The thaw. In March, Felipe acknowledged — at a low-key museum visit that was very clearly planned and not low-key — that there “was a lot of abuse” and “ethical controversies” during the conquest.

• It wasn’t an apology. It was the diplomatic equivalent of leaving flowers on the doorstep and running away. Sheinbaum called it a “gesture of rapprochement” and invited F6 to the World Cup the same week.

Enter the villain. Last month, Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso flew to Mexico, praised Hernán Cortés, called Spain’s colonial legacy something to be proud of, and (inevitably) spelled the country’s name “Méjico” — a provocateur to the last.

• Spelling 🐝. Ayuso was confronted at the airport by a local woman who reminded her that it’s México, with an X. The video went viral.

• Angry, not so angry. Sheinbaum pushed back on Ayuso’s provocation— then walked it back, insisting the bilateral relationship was bigger than Ayuso’s agenda.

And now guess who’s coming to Guadalajara? These kids…

4. 💰 Shakira wins €60M battle with the Spanish Tax Man