The UDEF detected that José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero received more than 313,000 euros from companies linked to China while, according to the judicial investigation, he acted as an intermediary in operations related to Venezuelan oil.
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The former president of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has once again found himself at the center of controversy after it was revealed that he received more than 313,200 euros in transfers from companies linked to China between 2020 and 2025, according to reports from the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) incorporated into the judicial case known as the Plus Ultra case.
The investigation by the National Court claims that Zapatero played a key role as an intermediary in operations related to the marketing of Venezuelan oil to companies connected with the Chinese regime.
The UDEF detected transfers from firms linked to China
According to the documentation accessed by Infobae, Zapatero and his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa, received more than 2.6 million euros in a shared account through 134 transfers from at least eleven companies based in different countries.
Among them are three companies linked to China:
Chinalink Asia Holdings Limited, an investment fund tied to technology and energy sectors, from which 27 transfers totaling 159,034 euros are said to have originated.
Yuewee International Trade Limited, a company based in Hong Kong dedicated to international trade, which is reported to have sent 49,758 euros.
Mimo Advisors, a Spanish firm managed by Chinese-born entrepreneur Yangjingzi Zhou, which transferred another 104,410 euros.
The UDEF indicates that the payments would formally correspond to "professional services," although the report does not precisely detail what specific tasks justified each transfer, raising suspicions within the investigation.
Indicted for corruption: Zapatero received more than 313,000 euros from Chinese companies
The link with Venezuela and Chavista oil
One of the most delicate aspects of the case points to Zapatero's alleged role as an intermediary between Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and Chinese companies interested in acquiring Venezuelan crude oil.
According to investigators, foreign companies were required to channel business proposals through the former socialist president's network.
The case particularly mentions a letter sent in October 2023 by the Chinese firm International Cultural Technology Resources Group Co. Ltd. directly addressed to the "Office of President Zapatero," linked to oil negotiations with Venezuela.
This document appeared just two weeks after Zapatero traveled to Beijing invited by the Chinese Communist Party, where he held meetings with high-ranking officials of the Asian regime.
For the Spanish judiciary, that trip would have solidified his role as a political and commercial bridge between Caracas and Beijing.
The judiciary advances on the Plus Ultra plot
The judicial investigation against Zapatero is part of the so-called Plus Ultra case, which has already generated significant political repercussions in Spain due to suspicions of corruption, influence peddling, and the use of international structures for business linked to authoritarian governments.
The National Court is trying to determine whether there was a network of political and financial intermediation that used diplomatic and business contacts to facilitate operations linked to the Venezuelan regime and foreign companies.
In parallel, the UDEF is analyzing transfers from the United Arab Emirates, Peru, and other international jurisdictions.
The judicial advance hits the historic socialist leader
The situation represents one of the biggest scandals affecting a former Spanish president in recent years and threatens to deepen the erosion of Spanish socialism, especially due to Zapatero's repeated connections with Latin American dictatorships such as Venezuela and Cuba.
In recent years, the former PSOE leader has become one of the main international defenders of Chavismo and has maintained ongoing contacts with Nicolás Maduro, in addition to acting in regional political negotiations.
Now, suspicions about international transfers, oil operations, and links with Chinese companies place Zapatero under increasing judicial and political pressure.
