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Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is preparing to present a new explanation regarding jewelry worth around €1.3 million, insisting it was not acquired through commissions or suspicious transactions but consisted of protocol gifts received from the leaders of Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. According to the legal strategy being developed by his defense team, some of the gifts were presented to him during his tenure as Spain's prime minister between 2004 and 2011, while others were received after he left office.
According to Spanish media, this is the third time Zapatero has changed his account of the jewelry's origin. After initially saying he could not remember who had given it to him, he later claimed the pieces were gifts received during official trips. He now explicitly identifies the leaders of Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as the donors.
His defense aims to dismiss suspicions of smuggling and tax offenses, arguing that the jewelry was delivered to him in Spain through diplomatic channels rather than brought back from trips abroad. Zapatero also maintains that gifts received while serving as prime minister do not constitute personal income subject to taxation.
However, this latest version of events could create new legal challenges. Under Spanish law, jewelry received while he was in office could be considered official state gifts that should have been transferred to the public administration, raising questions as to why they were not.
Zapatero has reportedly told those close to him that he expects to obtain documents and witness statements in the coming days confirming that the jewelry was presented to him as protocol gifts by the leaders of Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He believes this evidence will support his account and refute allegations that the items were linked to commissions or money laundering.
