The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has described the dissemination of former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's personal agenda as "extremely serious" and maintains that "a general case" is being built against him.
Puente made these statements in the corridors of Congress, after being asked about the content of Zapatero's agenda, incorporated into a report by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police. This document reflects regular contact with the core of the Executive and with prominent PSOE officials, as well as appointments with Spanish and Latin American businessmen during 2024 and 2025, in parallel with his efforts and trips related to Bolivia.
The minister considers it "scandalous" that Zapatero's agenda has been leaked to the press, as it includes "many aspects" of the former head of the Executive's private sphere, and he sees it as even more serious in light of the recent conviction and dismissal of former Attorney General Álvaro García Ortiz "for the leak, either by him or by someone in his circle, of details that were of absolute public interest."
Puente has questioned the journalistic interest of making public details such as Zapatero "gets his eyebrows done," the names of the people with whom he has shared private dinners —among them Puente himself and his wife—, the passwords of some of his emails, his bank accounts, or his address. "I don't know what interest it can have for the general public. It seems to us to be of extreme gravity," he insisted.
"It is unacceptable" and doubts about the investigation
Following the legal actions announced by Zapatero for this leak, Puente pointed out that now it will be seen "to what extent justice operates with equality in similar cases, or more serious in this case, depending on the people who have suffered them because, of course, what has happened seems absolutely unacceptable to us."
In relation to the new information about Zapatero's alleged payments for mediating with Peruvian companies in Bolivia, the Minister of Transport acknowledged being "very surprised" to see how in the Audiencia Nacional this is being transformed "into a general case" against the former president, by investigating an intermediation with a State —Bolivia— "that absolutely does not affect Spain at all" given that Zapatero no longer holds any public office.
"As a jurist, I am surprised that the bases of a procedure, which in this case is a recording that has been sent by the North American authorities, have been used, among other things, to order entries and searches in a gentleman's home, without first ensuring that this evidence is fully usable in our country," stated Puente, who ended by reiterating his confidence in the former president.
Ana Redondo's Support for Zapatero
For her part, the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, expressed her support for Zapatero this Thursday following the latest revelations included in the UDEF report. "Of course, confidence and the presumption of innocence," she stated when asked if she maintained her confidence in the former leader despite indications of influence with the Government of Bolivia.
"Until a person's guilt is proven, they are innocent," the minister emphasized in the corridors of the Congress of Deputies, one day after President Pedro Sánchez's appearance regarding the various cases of alleged corruption affecting the PSOE and the Government circles, including the one involving Zapatero.