Madrid, June 24 (EFE).- A new police report alleged that former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004-2011) lobbied Bolivian authorities to benefit “the interests” of the Peruvian business group Gloria in exchange for a 200,000 euros payment.
The Spanish Police’s Central Unit for Economic and Fiscal Crime (UDEF) considered “proven” that Zapatero arranged a meeting between the Bolivian Minister of Justice and executives of the Peruvian Gloria Group, which was facing multimillion-dollar lawsuits with the Bolivian state over unfair competition, as detailed in the report accessed by EFE.
According to the police dossier, dated Jun. 22, “this influence was allegedly exerted on authorities of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and in return, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero allegedly received 200,000 euros from the Peruvian company Focus Social Research.”
Investigators noted that Zapatero and Focus Social Research allegedly signed a contract for consulting services; however, the UDEF concluded, based on the analyzed conversations, that the services provided had no relation to the company’s corporate purpose, which is marketing, and, therefore, it was used as a “front company.”
According to the UDEF, the Gloria business conglomerate was behind the payments made by Focus Social Research to an account belonging to the former Spanish PM and former leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE).
The objective of the alleged scheme was to “attempt to mediate” in favor of the Gloria Group in several multimillion-dollar disputes with the Bolivian state.
In June 2010, the National Cement Factory (FANCESA for its initials in Spanish) filed a lawsuit alleging unfair competition against the company Bolivian Cement Society (SOBOCE), belonging to the Gloria conglomerate, because the latter used FANCESA shares to obtain a line of credit to invest in a silver production facility, to the detriment of the state-owned company.
In Feb. 2025, the Civil Chamber of the Bolivian Supreme Court of Justice upheld the ruling against the SOBOCE and confirmed a 107 million-dollar payment to FANCESA for unfair competition.
However, in May 2025, a Bolivian court upheld SOBOCE’s appeal for constitutional protection and suspended the judgment ordering payment.
Three weeks later, on June 16 and 20, 2025, Focus Social Research ordered two transfers of 50,000 euros each to Rodríguez Zapatero’s account, completing the full payment of the 200,000 euros agreed upon in the contract.
The UDEF report emphasized that the proceedings before the Bolivian authorities, the court ruling in favor of SOBOCE, and the payment of the remaining fees suggested a cause-and-effect relationship.
According to the UDEF, Zapatero “met with or contacted high-ranking political figures in Bolivia,” such as then-president, Luis Arce (2020–2025), as well as the ministers of Economy and Justice and the Attorney General.
The former PM’s meeting efforts followed the administrative actions by the Bolivian courts, as Gloria Group sought the former president’s advice in exchange for 200,000 euros, plus a 10,000 euro daily allowance and travel expenses.
The report also detailed that Gertrudis Alcázar, Zapatero’s secretary, scheduled several meetings at Zapatero’s request.
In addition to all this, the UDEF attributed to Carmen Almendras, Bolivia’s ambassador to Spain from 2007 to 2015, currently advisor to Kreab Bolivia, served as “intermediary” between Zapatero and Ana María Ospina, an executive of the Gloria Group. EFE
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